History Nook with Lauren Virgo
Welcome to the History Nook! Here you will find a bit of Aiken’s history for your enjoyment. For this initial article, we would like to take you back to the beginning—the creation of The Willcox, that is. As you may have surmised, The Willcox got its name from its founders—Frederick and Elise Willcox. Frederick was an immigrant from England and his wife, Elise, had immigrated from Sweden. Together with their son Albert, the family moved from New York to Aiken in 1897.
An Aiken Standard newspaper article from December 1, 1897 stated that Frederick Willcox of New York had rented the Bell House and would open it as a “Bachelor’s high class apartment house, with all the advantages of a club.” The Bell House began its life as the Stevenson boarding house on Park Avenue—a photograph of this home was taken by Aiken photographer J.A. Palmer around 1890.
From local newspapers, it seems that Frederick did not lease the Bell House for long. After the fire at the grand Highland Park Hotel in February of 1898, there was a demand for rooms-for-rent. The Willcoxs opened their new home at the corner of Colleton and Whiskey to the seasonal boarders—thus began the Willcox Hotel.
Over the decades, the Willcox Hotel would change names, expand multiples times, and operate with a Willcox family member at the helm until 1958. The building has hosted weddings, galas, celebrities, millionaires, and the occasional horse or dog. We hope that you enjoy this unique building from a grand era that has many stories to tell.
Lauren Virgo, Executive Director of the Aiken County Historical Museum, has spent her career preserving and sharing the history of the place she has always called home. A lifelong Aiken County resident with degrees in History and Art History, Lauren has worked in area museums since 2005 and has led the museum since 2018.
