City Directories and History: This historic site was part of an original land grant to Ephraim Franklin in 1791. It served as the primary watering source for the Town of Aiken until about 1890 and was a gathering place for servants to do the laundry The spring is covered with a spring house constructed in the 1800s and restored in 1972. (Information – Aiken Chamber of Commerce)
Early 20th century postcard view of the springs. Courtesy of the LP Collection -2017
Coker Spring is a freshwater spring. Archeological remains found near this property suggest that this was probably a water supply for prehistoric Indians. The spring later served as the source of drinking water for the early settlers of Aiken (ca. 1830-1890). The spring is covered by a spring house, which is constructed of brick, covered with stucco. The front façade features a pedimented entranceway with a wide entablature. Stuccoed brick retaining walls extend along the left and right sides of the springhouse. The first recorded owner of Coker Spring was Ephraim Franklin who obtained the spring as part of a 285-acre land grant in 1787. Apparently the spring then changed hands several times. The spring gained prominence as a
Identified as the Aiken Water Works. Courtesy of the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. The New York Public Library Digital Collections.
regular stop on the stagecoach route from Abbeville to Charleston, and also as the major source of drinking water for the town of Aiken which had been chartered in 1835. Eventually, however, the spring fell into ruin. Listed in the National Register January 18, 1978. [Courtesy of the SC Dept. of Archives and History]
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NATIONAL REGISTER IMAGE(S)
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