Aiken's Railroad Foundation
Aiken, South Carolina was named for William Aiken, Sr., Founder and President of the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company. William Aiken led his company to build the Charleston & Hamburg Railroad between January 1830 and October 1833. Unfortunately, William Aiken died in a carriage accident on May 5, 1831 that ironically occurred when a train frightened his horse. The Charleston & Hamburg Railroad was 136 miles long with one terminus in Charleston, SC and the other in Hamburg, SC. The city of Hamburg was along the Savannah River just opposite of Augusta, GA. At the time of its completion, it was the longest railroad in the world. Aiken hired Horatio Allen as the chief engineer to build the railroad. Allen was later a consulting engineer for the famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
On October 2, 1833, the first train arrived in the newly established town of Aiken. The town was officially chartered on December 19, 1835. The main reason for building the railroad was for Charleston to continue to be an important seaport for the transportation of cotton and other commodities grown in the piedmont area of South Carolina. Charleston was seeing great competition from Savannah, GA as a result of shipping along the Savannah River. The railroad provided a less expensive and faster transportation system to deliver goods to a port. This was good for the economy of the largest city in South Carolina, Charleston. With the railroad providing convenient transportation, many aristocrats from the Charleston area traveled to Aiken to avoid the summer heat and "noxious vapors" of the marshlands. This began the recognition of Aiken as a destination for the wealthy.
In the late 1800s, the growing network of railroads provided opportunities for people from the northeastern U.S.A. to come to Aiken during the winter months. This resulted in the establishment of the Winter Colony in Aiken by Thomas Hitchcock, Sr. and William C. Whitney. Many of the fine homes in Aiken and the famous Hitchcock Woods were a result of the impact of the Winter Colony visitors.
To receive credit for this virtual rewards cache, you will visit two locations in downtown Aiken that give homage to its founder, William Aiken, and to the trains that helped to establish the town by bringing wealthy people to the area. Please send a message to the CO with your responses to the following items. Please do not include any photos that show answers to any of the questions below.
Be sure to take some time to visit the Aiken Visitor Center and Train Museum to learn more about the history of Aiken's Railroad Foundation.
1. Include the name and GC code for this cache. "GC7B73D, Aiken's Railroad Foundation"
At William Aiken's Statue - Posted Coordinates - N 33° 33.590 W 81° 43.275
2. What is the time on William Aiken's watch?
3. Who was the sculptor of the William Aiken Statue?
4. When was the sculpture dedicated?
At the Train Depot - Virtual Stage - N 33° 33.474 W 081° 42.947
5. Find the Train Ticket Window. It is on the side of the building closest to the two Pullman cars. What are the titles of the signs on each side of the Train Ticket Window?
6. Take two pictures of yourself or a personal item
- a. with the statue of William Aiken.
- b. in front of one of the features of the train museum area.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.