The Horses of Kennebec County

The 1892 History of Kennebec County provides us with a unique glimpse into 'When the Horse Was King" in Kennebec County. The section on horses has been scanned and arranged in three storyboards. In 1819, the Kennebec Agricultural Society "voted to raise a committee to confer with the Maine Agricultural Committee to offer a liberal premium for bringing "a good stock" horse into the county."

This was the age when the trotting horse rose to its position of imminence. As I read this history, I wonder, do the descendants of the men and women of this time remember the stories of their ancestors? Do they retell the stories? Do they possess mementos from the past? -- photographs --paintings -- engraving -- fair programs --race cards, -- stallion cards -- ribbons -- trophies -- catalogs -- newspaper clipping -- journals -- business records -- even a high wheel sulky!

Do we realize and appreciate that "When the Horse Was King," the horse was our means of transportation, our worker in the field, and our entertainment. The horse played an integral part in the lives of human beings. With progress and the advent of the automobile the horse's importance to our economy to our way of life diminished and for most vanished. My sense is that we need to take the time to recover this past and honor the people, the places, and the horses that created the rich fabric of history -- the era of "When the Horse Was King."

Most of the stories related to the history of the horse throughout Kennebec County are lost. If we are to recover what we can of this history -- in Kennebec County and throughout the State of Maine, then our work is now.

Now is the time for that work!

The book, Maine's Trotting Horse Heritage Trail, presents the history of the trotting horse from 1819 through 1893. People, places, events and horses are detailed. Clark Thompson, author of this book, has placed 21 inscribed granite markers from Old Orchard Beach to Dover, With this book you are able to read the history and follow the trail. The last marker honored the anniversary of the death of the stallion Nelson, Maine's most famous trotting champion. The marker is placed at the Sterling Street Playground in Waterville, Maine.