Aiken
Aiken was a mill and farming community on the Leon River twelve miles northwest of Belton in northwest Bell County. A steam saw and flour mill was constructed on the site by Abner Kuykendall in 1857, and a settlement grew up around it, on land owned by Herman Aiken. By 1860 Aiken was a thriving community with an estimated 200 inhabitants. During the Civil War the population of 600 produced a number of goods formerly imported; the town supported a cabinet shop, a tanyard, a shoe and saddle shop, a hat factory, a Confederate distillery, and wood and blacksmith shops for the manufacture and repair of wagons. Aiken had a post office from 1868 to 1872. The town seems to have declined in the later nineteenth century; it was not shown on the state highway map of 1948. The townsite was inundated by Belton Lake in the 1950s.
Mark Odintz | © TSHA
Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.
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Belongs to
Aiken is part of or belongs to the following places:
Currently Exists
No
Place type
Aiken is classified as a Town
Location
Latitude: 31.16630500Longitude: -97.46729900
Has Post Office
No
Is Incorporated
No