To understand why horses are such a vi-
brant part of this community, a short his-
tory lesson is in order. In the early 1900s,
Aiken gained fame as a wintering spot
for wealthy families from the northern
states. In part this was due to the sink-
ing of the RMS Lusitania in 1915 from a
German U-boat. Suddenly, going abroad
for education and play was not worth the
risk with the world at war. Instead, Thom-
as Hitchcock Sr. and his wife, Louise (who
had spent much of her youth in Aiken),
along with William C. Whitney, brought
their families and their horses to Aiken
and, with other like-minded friends, turned
the small town into a sportsman's para-
dise. Golf courses and polo fields were
built and enjoyed. A forest of more than
1,000 acres was purchased: trails snaked
through the ancient longleaf pines and
a rough mile oval came to life on a high
ridge. A show ground sprung up under a
canopy of trees. Thoroughbreds, whether
steeplechase horses or flat runners, had a
training ground like no other in this mag-
ical place called the Hitchcock Woods. A
prep school was founded to educate the
young scions of the winter visitors and
even The New York Times posted a society
columnist in Aiken.