TDN Weekend

March 2019

TDN Weekend December 2016 Issue 9

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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.

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