Aiken Museum

Travel Journal – June 28, 2015

On Sunday Cheryl drove over from Georgia and met me for lunch at the Cracker Barrel in Aiken. Then we went to the Historical Museum in Aiken, South Carolina. The Cracker Barrel always seems to be pretty consistent for a good meal. I have eaten at a number of them all across the USA.

The museum is located in downtown Aiken, about fifteen minutes from the Aiken State Park where Jagger and I are currently camping. It’s in a home originally built in 1931 and owned by the Howe family. The home named the Banksia after the rose of that name. The project was a 17,000 square foot addition to a wooden structure dating back to 1840.

Here many of the elite members of society were entertained. It has thirty-two rooms, fifteen bathrooms and a ballroom. We enjoyed walking through the facility, talking with the caretakers and imagining ourselves living in a different era where life seemed much simpler than today.

After our leisurely stroll, Cheryl and I said our goodbyes and I went back to our camp. Jagger and I will be spending a few more days here at Aiken, then mosey on over to Georgia for a four week camp at Clarks Hill Lake which is also known as J. Strom Thurmond Lake.

That’s a whole other story. When visiting a local store, I first heard of the feud between Georgia and South Carolina. The Lake, with 70,000 surface acres and over a 1,000 miles of shoreline, lies between Georgia and South Carolina. One day the South Carolina State government decided to change the name of the lake to honor one of their long time senators, J. Strom Thurmond, without consulting Georgia. So today Google will display the lake searching with either name, but on the map it shows “J. Strom Thurmond Lake” and “Clarks Hill Lake”. Confusing to me, especially when I first arrived.

Well time to fix dinner and plan our week. Until next time, Safe Travels…Gary

More Photos: Aiken Museum and State Park