How I’m Spending My Summer Vacation

Being in academia, my summers are usually pretty low-keyaffairs. Lots of home improvement projects mixed with sitting by the pool,playing with the dog, and watching a ton of horse racing. This summer isdifferent. As a rather natural extension of my research on Pittsburgh industrialistsand their role in the high-rise development of downtown Pittsburgh, I fell intoanother topic, fascinating to me and fortunately virtually untouched inacademic circles: the history of horse racing in western Pennsylvania—the breedingand racing of both Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds. For that reason, I’mthrilled to havebeen selected for the 2012-13 John H. Daniels Fellowship at the NationalSporting Library & Museum! For two weeks in late July, I’ll be immersed intheir collection and loving every minute of it.
Why western Pennsylvania? In this frontier region physicallyand culturally isolated from Eastern cities until the mid-19th century, westernPennsylvanians enjoyed the competitive nature of horse racing, with numerous informalcontests held on city streets and farm fields, as well as well-attended eventsat race tracks, driving parks and important agricultural meetings. Newspaperaccounts of the era tell us as much, as do other tangible bits of evidence.Nearly every sizeable town in western Pennsylvania once had a race track or “drivingpark.” Some county fairs (such as those in Butler, Clearfield, Greene, andIndiana counties) still host harness and/or flat racing events, and, of course,we have The Meadows and Presque Isle Downs, but so many more have disappeared. Iintend to not only document these long-gone race tracks (some of which hadsizeable grandstands and other structures), but also examine more thoroughlyhow their lands were repurposed or redeveloped.

Luna Park, c. 1907

Right here in Johnstown there were once two tracks: theTri-County Driving Park Association’s track at Luna Park (built in 1904) is nowthe footprint of Roxbury Park; the Johnstown Driving Park Association built itstrack in Westmont in 1893, and by 1905 it had closed, now forming the streetssurrounding the gracious tree-lined Luzerne Street.

Waynesburg Fairgrounds

Closer to home, in Washington County, the former MillsboroDriving Park was a 60’ wide half-mile track constructed in 1875 on what islocally known as Sandy Plains. In case you’re interested in a major restorationproject, it’s currentlyfor sale, for $425,000. In my home county of Greene, the Waynesburg Fairand Agricultural Association built a track and grandstand (seating 2,500) in1912 (the track remains, but the old wooden grandstand has been replaced); Ihaven’t yet been able to nail down the construction date for the CarmichaelsFairgrounds, but have found its track record was set by a pacer named Beaut Kennedy in 1911, so it’s at leastthat old.

Carmichaels Fairgrounds

 These are but a few of the many tracks I’m currentlyexploring, and for that I need help. If you or anyone you know has oldphotographs or information about these tracks, please leave me a comment hereor send me an email (see About Me information in right sidebar). I’m basicallyinterested in all the counties west of the Allegheny Mountains: Erie, Crawford,Mercer, Lawrence, Beaver, Washington, Greene, Fayette, Westmoreland, Allegheny,Butler, Venango, Warren, McKean, Forest, Elk, Cameron, Clarion, Jefferson,Clearfield, Armstrong, Indiana, Cambria, Blair, Bedford and Somerset.
In addition to racetracks, the breeding of race horsesoccurred in western Pennsylvania as well. While congressman William LawrenceScott’s late 19th century Algeria Stock Farm in Erie County is wellknown—counting English St. Leger winner Rayond’Or among its important stallions—few realize that as early as 1811, theimported English race horse Honest John(by Derby winner Sir Peter Teazle)stood stud at Morganza in Washington County. In the early 1890s, in Franklin,near Oil City, Prospect Hill Stud Farm bred trotters of such quality thatperiod writers dubbed it the “Palo Alto of the East” in reference to the greatCalifornia stud farm of Governor Leland Stanford. Such information is outsidethe mainstream discussion of American breeding; nevertheless, it is animportant part of the larger picture of breeding history, and certainly therole western Pennsylvania breeders played. It is the intent of my research tohelp fill in the historical gaps, and demonstrate to a contemporary audiencejust how important horse racing once was—and can continue to be—in this part ofthe Commonwealth.
I’m also fascinated by the western Pennsylvanians involvedin the sport, such as Captain Samuel S. Brown, owner of Senorita Stock Farm(now part of Kentucky Horse Park), but also a farm in Bridgeport, nearMonongahela, PA. He won the 1905 Kentucky Derby with Agile, the 1904 Travers with Broomstick,and the 1886 Suburban with Troubadour—andhe made his money as a Pittsburgh industrialist. John W. Galbreath wasn’t aPittsburgher, per se, but as a long-time owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates we’llclaim him as such; synonymous with Darby Dan Farm, he and fellow PittsburgherPaul Mellon (Rokeby Stables) share the rare feat of having captured both theKentucky Derby and the Epsom (English) Derby. How many non-racing fans realizedhow significant Galbreath’s champion Roberto(yes, named after the tragic Pirate great Roberto Clemente) is even in today’sbloodlines? If you haven’t done so before, read my 2009blog post about how Art Rooney Sr.’s talent for playing the ponies helped builta legendary football team. These are but the tip of an iceberg.
There’s also so much more to explore about: jockey DonnaBurnham who rodefor Jim Zimmerman at several race meets at Waynesburg before moving on tothe big time; Hall of Fame harness driver (and Greene County native) Dave Palone; and someonenamed V. J. Reynolds from Waynesburg who, according to the Daily Racing Form in 1910 arrived at Lexington with three2-year-olds and a 3-year-old, with the intent of racing over the Kentuckycircuit. Who was this guy?!? These are the kinds of things I’m fascinated with,which should make for a busy yet enjoyable summer.