A historic wall that has stood along Whiskey Road for close to a century has fallen victim to another car wreck and will need repairs.
Police responded early Sunday morning to the area of Whiskey and Coker Spring roads where a vehicle was on fire after colliding with the historic wall.
Police responded to the call at 2:05 a.m. and located the driver and passenger of the single-vehicle accident.
The driver, identified as 37-year-old Latisha Ann Royal of Williston, was issued a uniform traffic ticket for driving under the influence and for not having a South Carolina driver’s license, according to an incident report by the Aiken Department of Public Safety.
Both Royal and the passenger told police she swerved into the wall in a panic after a vehicle passed on her left, the report states.
The portion of Whiskey Road where the collision occurred connects the downtown area to south Aiken.
The area of the road winds and narrows before it passes alongside Hopelands Gardens.
This is the third time in two years that the wall in the area has been struck, Lt. Jake Mahoney with ADPS said.
The wall with the “Rond Point” sign etched into it was built in the 1920s by Dr. B.C. McLean, said former homeowner Sally Wyman Brodie.
Brodie said she lived in the historic home behind the wall with her family from 1955 to 1977.
She remembers a beautiful life filled with weddings, parties and family in the home behind the wall and is saddened each time the wall is damaged.
“I don’t get it,” Brodie said. “That used to never happen and people are speeding. They’re either drunk or they’re speeding.”
Brodie hopes some form of protection could be placed in front of the wall to stop cars from damaging it.
District 7 County Councilman Andrew Siders shared similar thoughts with Brodie.
Siders said although there hasn’t been any discussion by the county regarding the wall being damaged, he would like to work with SCDOT and the city to make the corner more visible or to take measures to deter the historic wall from being hit.
Damage to the wall hasn't been an issue for the city or the county because private insurance usually pays for damages, Siders said.
"Being on private property, we are prohibited from having dealings of any public money on that but there may be more from a road level that could be done to make it more visible or make it safer," Siders said. "It is a historic structure and I would love to see it protected as best as it can be."
