The Founders
Ask a simple question, get a complicated answer. What seems like an easy question, "Who is the founder of Aiken County?" can become...
The Founding of Aiken County
On March 10, 1871, South Carolina Governor Robert K. Scott signed the legislative act for the founding of a new county. In a bill submitted by Barnwell District Rep. (later Senator) Charles D. Hayne, this new county would be taken from portions of the Barnwell, Edgefield, Lexington, and Orangeburg counties, and its name would be Aiken. However, the founding of Aiken County was not a simple process.
In the blog entries below, you will find information about the complicated, decades-long process of founding Aiken County. But don't be intimidated by that statement because the story has been broken up into smaller, bite-size pieces of history. Where ever it is possible, primary source documents have been added to the blog entry.
Disclaimer: This information has been collected and shared with you all for the betterment of our historical understanding. It is entirely possible that the research shown below will change or be improved upon in the future. History has a funny way of evolving, which is good because history is never static. It is always changing as new information is discovered.
