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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.^qv 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).

Cecil Harper, Jr.

The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.

Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/AA/hna13.html (accessed May 13, 2008).

(NOTE: "s.v." stands for sub verbo, "under the word.")

The Handbook of Texas Online is a project of the Texas State Historical Association (http://www.tshaonline.org).

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Last Updated: January 8, 2008
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