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The purpose of the South Carolina Picture Project is to celebrate the beauty of the Palmetto State while preserving some of its vanishing landscapes.

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First Baptist Church

SC PICTURE PROJECT 1 Comment

SC Picture Project / Aiken County / First Baptist Church

First Baptist Church of Aiken is aptly named, as the edifice is not only home to the city’s first Baptist congregation, but the original church was the first constructed in this burgeoning railroad town. The South Carolina Rail Road and Canal Company was incorporated in 1827 with cotton merchant William Aiken named as its first president. In 1828 the area that would become Aiken was designated as a stop along the new railroad company’s Charleston-to-Hamburg line. The railroad company’s goal was to divert shipping via the Savannah River from Savannah, Georgia, to Charleston through the new rail line. The railroad was completed and in operation by 1833, and the new town was named for William Aiken and incorporated in 1835.

First Baptist Church of Aiken

Steve Rich of Aiken, 2011 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Aiken was laid out in a grid in 1834 by engineers Alfred Dexter and C. O. Pascalis with lots designated for the construction of churches. In 1836 First Baptist Church of Aiken was the first congregation to build a house of worship, constructed on the same block where the church stands today. At that time the church faced Chesterfield Street. The church burned in 1878 and was soon rebuilt. Two other churches followed over the decades: one built in 1919 and another, the present church, completed in 1956 and facing York Street.

First Baptist Church Aiken

Carl F. Bagge of San Pedro, CA, 2008 © Do Not Use Without Written Consent

Plan Your Trip: First Baptist Church

Where is First Baptist Church located?
Address: 120 Chesterfield Street, Aiken, SC 29801
GPS Coordinates: 33.561246,-81.717689
Website: http://www.fbcaiken.org
What else should I see?
Immanuel School 0 mile
All Saints Anglican Church 0.2 mile
Aiken Tennis Club 0.4 mile
William Aiken Statue 0.4 mile
Show me more like this!
  • Aiken Historic Sites
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    First Baptist Church Map

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    1. George Broxton says

      May 20, 2015 at 3:19 AM

      My dad, George A Broxton, and my mother, Ida Newsome, were married in Aiken the 14th of October, 1933 by Phillip W. Leau? or Lesu? of Aiken First Baptist Church. I would like to know more about this.

      Reply

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    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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    ABOUT US

    We are a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to preserve the history of South Carolina’s historic, natural, and cultural landmarks before they are lost to time. This website serves as a permanent digital archive of over 2,300 South Carolina landmarks – and counting. Learn more about our work.

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