Dedication of watering trough, hunt breakfast part of Aiken's birthday
Horses taking a stroll downtown can stop and have a cool drink of water now that a historic water trough has been put back to use.
The Banksia Watering Trough was recently installed on South Boundary Avenue, behind the Frederick Ergle log cabin. It will be dedicated in memory of Dogwood Stable's Summer Squall on Jan. 23 as a part of the City of Aiken's 175th anniversary celebration. The event will be held at 11 a.m. at the South Boundary side of the Serpentine Wall of the Aiken County Historical Museum, rain or shine.
The museum is located at 433 Newberry St. S.W.
Elliot Levy, director of the Aiken County Historical Museum, said the trough was moved from behind the Aiken County courthouse to South Boundary by County employees who also installed the trough.
A water fountain was also installed at the site, he said.
"When people go riding or walking in the woods, they can get water from the water fountain, and their horses can get water from the horse trough," said Levy. "It looks wonderful. It was cleaned up properly, and it looks like everything was done with pride."
Kip Gunter, a foreman for Aiken County and the head of the horse trough project, said the trough took about two weeks to complete. Four employees contributed to the project.
The concrete trough was made in the 1800s and needed a lot of refinishing after sitting unused for many years, Gunter said.
Jerry Withrow, operations foreman for Aiken County, said a fresh coat of cement was added to give the trough a cleaner finish.
Gunter said there are plans to install a heater in the trough so that it can be used year-round.
"It should be nice for equestrians and pedestrians," said Gunter. "We tried to think of everybody."
A hunt breakfast will follow the dedication ceremony, hosted by Friends of the Aiken County Historical Museum and the equestrian community. An RSVP is required for the free breakfast. Invitations are available at the museum.
"It's the right thing to do for the people of Aiken and for the visitors that come through Aiken," Levy said of the trough. "It's good for the community. When you talk about parks, recreation and tourism, this is a part of that."
Contact April Bailey at abailey@aikenstandard.com.