Life in Aiken
The coming of the railroad was a major factorin the birth of Aiken. The all-important cottoncrop and Graniteville fabrics could get to market.Add to life in Aiken a lady lonesome for herwealthy friends up North and you have the beginning of the Winter Colony in the 1930s,and 40s. With the Winter Colony came huntingand horseback riding, polo, golf, and tennis - a lifestyle that changed the area.
Banksia
(An early photo of Banksia included)
This museum, "Banksia",was built in 1931and named for the little yellow rose that climbsserpentine walls surrounding the house.With the passage of time, the Museumremained a centerpiece. After a stint as a boarding house, Banksia was used as thefirst home of the University of South Carolina at Aiken. It served the needs of thepeople as the public library and, when thelibrary moved to its current home, it becamethe Museum you see here now. It chroniclesthe good times and the bad - a tribute tolife in Aiken.
Life in Aiken took a radical change in Novemberof 1950 when the announcement was made of the Savannah River Plant - the "Bomb Plant"being built. Change occurred overnight. Over30,000 men and their families descended upon the county. Trailer parks sprang up everywhere,schools were on double shifts. This Museum was even used as a boarding house.(Pictures included)
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