The Faith Center, St. John United Methodist Church's latest campus addition, is home to a variety of greenery and the mix of flora includes a few specimens that got personal attention at the hands of the late Ola Hitt. Hitt was one of Aiken's most well-known residents of the past century.
Hitt, who died May 20, 2013 at age 103, lived for several decades in a large house that was demolished early this year to make way for the church's new multipurpose building. The church took special attention to preserve Hitt's memory in the church's addition.
On the grounds of the new Faith Center irises, spider lilies, gardenias, camellias and hydrangeas thrive, all moved from Hitt's estate.
"The bulbs were moved directly into locations around the church, and the plants were propagated and are now being planted around the property," said Al Snell, who helped lead the relocation effort.
Snell credited Liz Benton, one of his fellow Master Gardeners, for helping get the job done. "She took the cuttings, rooted them with Rootone (a rooting hormone) and sand and peat moss, and then planted them and kept them in her garage during the winter. The specimens we have now are very healthy and beautiful plants," he said.
"We've enjoyed it," said Benton, noting that the project's other plants, as well as the labor to put them in place, came by way of Cold Creek Nursery.
Another item from Hitt's house - a set of double doors - is in place inside The Faith Center. The doors are ready to welcome anyone walking into the building's main room, which will play host to contemporary worship services. Another prominent feature, Hitt's chandelier, is now a part of the home of St. John's members Dr. Bauer and Deedee Vaughters.
Hitt, a native of Martinez, Georgia, lived in Aiken for most of her life, and reportedly moved into the Chesterfield Street house in 1945, staying there until 2010, when she fell and broke a leg. She had been living alone and still driving a car up until that point. She was a member of Aiken's First Baptist Church, and was remembered in her obituary as "a longtime Aiken fixture and philanthropist," largely in connection with her tradition of operating a boarding house for veterans from World War II and the Korean conflict.
The Faith Center, along with serving as a locale for contemporary worship services at St. John, also will be the home of several rooms for youth and senior-adult activities, Sunday school and evening fellowship.
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