Pickens-Salley House

Front inscription

This white frame building, first known as “Edgewood,” was an excellent example of Federal-era architecture. Originally near Edgefield, it was built c.1836 for Francis W. Pickens (c.1805-1869), state representative and senator, congressman, and governor. In 1928, the then-neglected home was acquired by Eulalie Chafee Salley (1883-1975), a noted local realtor, business woman, and women’s rights advocate.

Reverse inscription

Salley hired architect Willis Irvin and contractor Byron Hair to dismantle and move the home to the Kalmia Hill section of Aiken, where it was remodeled. Salley lived there until her death. The house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Developer Ronald Bolton donated it in 1989 to the Univ. of S.C. Aiken. The house was relocated, renovated for university use, and reopened in 1992.