The Aiken Polo Club is a

polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...

club in

Aiken, South Carolina Aiken is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Aiken County, in western South Carolina. It is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. Founded in 1835, Aiken was named after William Aiken, the president of the Sout ...

Location

It is located at 240-399 Mead Avenue in Aiken, South Carolina, 29801.Aiken Polo Club: Contact Us
/ref>Google Maps
/ref> It is two blocks away from the

Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum The Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1977 as a tribute to the famous flat racing and steeplechase Thoroughbred horses that trained in Aiken, South Carolina. The museum was a project of the local Jaycees, ai ...

, the Rye Patch Estate and the Hopelands Gardens.

History

The club was established in 1882.Aiken Polo Club: History
/ref> That year, Colonel Clarence Sutherland Wallace (1851-1903) of the Havemeyer Sugar Company organized the first match.Horace A. Laffaye, ''Polo in the United States: A History'', Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 2011, p. 31 He played, and the other players were William Chaffee, Judge William Quitman Davis, George and

William Eustis William Eustis (June 10, 1753 – February 6, 1825) was an early American physician, politician, and statesman from Massachusetts. Trained in medicine, he served as a military surgeon during the American Revolutionary War, notably at the Bat ...

(1862-1921), a Hostetter, W.R. Lincoln and James Oakley.

Thomas Hitchcock, Sr. Thomas Hitchcock (23 November 1860 – 29 September 1941) was one of the leading American polo players during the latter part of the 19th century and a Hall of Fame horse trainer and owner known as the father of American steeplechase hor ...

(1860-1941), who wintered in Aiken, was one of the early players. Other players included

Harry Payne Whitney Harry Payne Whitney (April 29, 1872 – October 26, 1930) was an American businessman, thoroughbred horse breeder, and member of the prominent Whitney family. Early years Whitney was born in New York City on April 29, 1872, as the eldest son ...

(1872-1930),

Devereux Milburn Devereux Milburn (September 19, 1881 – August 15, 1942) was an American champion polo player in the early to mid twentieth century. He was one of a group of Americans known as the Big Four in international polo, winning the Westchester Cup six ...

(1881-1942),

Pete Bostwick George Herbert "Pete" Bostwick (August 14, 1909 – January 13, 1982) was an American court tennis player, a steeplechase jockey and horse trainer, and an eight-goal polo player. Biography He was born in Bisby Lake, New York to Marie L. Stokes a ...

(1909-1982),

James P. Mills James P. Mills (1909–1987) was an American investment banker, throughbred owner, polo player and philanthropist. Biography Early life James P. Mills was born in 1909 the son of Paul Denckla Mills (son of the late General Samuel Miles Mills ...

(1909-1987), brothers Elbridge T. Gerry, Sr. (1909-1999) and Robert L. Gerry, Jr. (1911-1979), brothers

Seymour H. Knox III Seymour Horace Knox III (March 9, 1926May 22, 1996) was a philanthropist and sports entrepreneur. He owned the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League from their foundation in 1970 to his death in 1996, and served as chairman of the team. ...

(1926-1996) and Northrup R. Knox (1928-1998),

Francis Skiddy von Stade, Sr. Francis Skiddy von Stade (September 4, 1884 – February 19, 1967) was a champion polo player and the president of the Saratoga Association (Saratoga Race Course) from 1943 to 1955. Early life Von Stade was born in New York, New York on September ...

(1884-1967) and his son

Charles Skiddy von Stade Charles Steele von Stade (November 24, 1919 – April 10, 1945) was an American polo champion. Biography Personal life Charles Steele von Stade was born in Old Westbury, Long Island, New York on November 24, 1919 to Francis Skiddy von Stade, Sr. ...

, brothers

Stewart Iglehart Stewart Birrell Iglehart (February 22, 1910 – December 19,1993) was a rancher, ice hockey and polo player. He was born in Valparaíso, Chile but moved to the United States at a young age. As a child he learned to play both ice hockey and p ...

(1910-1993) and Philip L. B. Iglehart (1913-1993),

Alan L. Corey, Jr. Alan Lyle Corey Jr. (February 6, 1917 - August 24, 1998) was an American polo player. Overview It ... on March 20, 1992. He was married to Patricia Grace, and they had one daughter, Patricia Corey Montgomerie, and two sons, Alan L. Corey III and ...

, and Louis Ezekiel Stoddard (1881-1951). The club fell in abeyance during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. However, in 1957, the club celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary with the Diamond Anniversary Cup.Horace A. Laffaye, ''Polo in the United States: A History'', Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., 2011, p. 195 The Aiken team (Charles Leonard, Pete Bostwick, Alan Corey, Jr., and Devereux Milburn) beat the Aurora team (Jack Ivory, Seymour H. Knox II, Seymour H. Knox III and Northrup R. Knox). In the 1970s, Thomas Biddle, Sr., David Widener and Gene Kneece decided to revive the club. In 2007, the club president was Charles Bostwick.Gene Petriello
Aiken Polo Club celebrates 125 years
, ''

WRDW-TV WRDW-TV (channel 12) is a television station in Augusta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with CBS and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power, Class A NBC affiliate WAGT-CD (channel 26). Both stations share studios at ...

'', August 23, 2007 That year, it celebrated its 125th anniversary. It is recognized by the

United States Polo Association The United States Polo Association (USPA) is the national governing body for the sport of polo in the United States. Introduction Established in 1890, by David Grubbs the USPA provides resources to over 4,500 individual members and 250 polo club ...

(USPA), the governing body of polo in the United States.United States Polo Association: Southeast

References

{{Reflist Polo clubs in the United States Sports venues in Aiken County, South Carolina