AIKEN, TEXAS (Shelby County). Aiken is twelve miles from Center on State Highway 7 in southwestern Shelby County. The community was purportedly named after Herman Aiken. A post office that opened there in 1889 was described in 1890 as a "country post office." By 1892, however, the community had a sawmill, a blacksmith's shop, and a school. In 1896 the population was estimated at seventy-five, and two churches, a cotton gin, and a general store had been added to the earlier institutions. The post office was closed in 1909, but Aiken remained a church and school community for farmers in the area. By 1955 the school district had been consolidated with other districts. In 1990 Aiken had a population of seventy-five and no rated businesses. In 2000 the population remained the same.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: John Clements, Flying the Colors: Texas, a Comprehensive Look at Texas Today, County by County (Dallas: Clements Research, 1984).
