Railroad Cut

Historic Property

Alternate Name:

Southern Railway Cut Through Aiken

Street Address:

East/West Cut through Downtown Grid, Aiken, SC (Aiken County)

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Site Number:

03_1626

Control Number:

U/03/1626

Date Surveyed:

October 28 2009

Category:

Site

Construction Date:

circa 1851

Alteration Date:

1950 – circa 1999

Historic Use:

Transportation

Current Use:

Transportation

National Register Determination:

eligible;

Signficant Architectural Features:

Railway line as much as 18' below grade running East/West through the original city grid and alongside Hitchcock Woods. Crosses under bridges at: Union, Fairfield, York, Chesterfield, Newberry & Laurens Streets. Prev. SHPO No. 0417

Alterations:

Updated as needed for modern railway use

Historical Information:

Route was laid between 1850-52 slightly south of the original route of the railroad. The deep cut allowed the elimination of the inclined plane along Park Avenue & its machinery at Park Avenue & Laurens Street. An Act of SC Legislature (1897) required the state & railroad company to maintain bridges & at-grade crossing along the route.

Survey:

City of Aiken Historic Resources Survey, Aiken County, South Carolina. May 2010

Quadrangle Name:

Aiken

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