Augusta Driving Park

Augusta's trotting park was the subject of earlier posts. However, the posts were created prior to the development of storyboards. Therefore, here is a storyboard on Augusta's lost trotting park. The trotting park is now the location of KV YMCA and the building housing the Augusta Police Department, Augusta Housing, and Augusta Adult Education. There is a display at the YMCA presenting the Augusta Fairgrounds. The images of trotting are attributed to the mid-1850s. However, the sulkies are bicycle wheel sulkies. These sulkies were first used in 1892.

In 1920, the State of Maine hired an engineering firm to redo the grounds of the statehouse. The City of Augusta contracted with the same firm to redesign the trotting park to become a general recreational park. For whatever reasons, there are no pictures showing trotting at the Augusta Trotting Park. The pictures displayed at the YMCA may be examples of what trotting looked like at the time and not actual photos of the trotting park. If anyone can locate photos of the Augusta Driving Park, please e-mail lifework50@gmail.com or call Stephen Thompson at 207-242-7774.

Cherryfield's Lost Trotting Park

Growing up I knew about Cherryfield, Maine! Carlton Willey was a major league baseball player who played for the Milwaukee Braves. Carlton was from Cherryfield. Now just a few years later, I revisit Cherryfield. However, this time for lost trotting parks. Last fall I called the Cherryfield town office. I was referred to Kathy Upton. Her time was limited and was unable to provide me with any information at the time. She would get to it later in the year. Time passed and I called Kathy this past week. Kathy stated that she would get down to the historical society and see what was available. Today when I opened my G-Mail account there was an e-mail from Kathy with 25 items attached. Kathy, thank you for taking the time to share these images of the Cherryfield Trotting Park. These images may be viewed at the Cherryfield Historical Society. The earliest program is dated 1894. In the near future, I will do additional work to identify the horseman and key players who made the Cherryfield Fair possible.

New Gloucester Fairgrounds Stopped Trots in the mid 1950s

Fairgrounds at New Gloucester with trotting track

On our trip back from Buxton, we drove up through Gorham to Windham to Gray to New Gloucester. As we were driving through New Gloucester we saw the sign for the New Gloucester Fairgrounds. Libby turned left down this curvy road which led to the fairgrounds. More research and posts will be forthcoming!

Route 112 cuts through Gorham's Lost Trotting Park -- Now Soccer Fields

Greg Wilkinson provided me with most of the images on the first storyboard. Greg considered Gorham Raceway to be the most beautiful track in the State of Maine. The Gorham Raceway closed in 1967.

The last time and only time I sat in the grandstands at the Gorham Raceway was 1966. We were visiting Hort Gilman and his family who lived in Gorham. Gil ran Mr. G's IGA Foodliner. Gil, Mary, and their three sons, Steve, Link, and Mike lived on the Reach Road in Presque Isle prior to their move to Gorham.

On Saturday, April 10, 2010, Libby and I were driving back from Buxton when I realized we had just passed the location of the Gorham Raceway. We completed a u-turn so I could take photos of the what appears to be the turns of the track. More research on the Gorham Raceway will be conducted in the near future.

Maine Farmer August 11, 1887 -- Stallion Nelson on Front Page

This Maine Farmer Storyboard presents the horse related clips that were published on August 11, 1887.

Harness Racing Vehicles by D'Amato & Green

This 207 page book provides you with imagery and history of the vehicles used in harness racing. From the two-wheeled sulky to the four-wheel racing sulky, from road riders to speed wagons, readers will be introduced to each type of vehicle through design drawings, antique plates, and advertisements. Click on this storyboard to order your copy!

Maine Farmer 1877 to 1900

This week Peter Stowell, Historian for the Dixfield Historical Society, and I have been taking our mornings to work at the Maine State Library digitizing the front pages of the Maine Farmer. When this work is completed each front page will be indexed and converted to a PDF file. The Maine Farmer was a weekly publication. Therefore we will have more than 750 pages of information related to farming and trotting in the State of Maine. Stories and images from the Maine Farmer will be cropped and placed into subject based storyboards. Storyboards will be given to the Maine State Library for display purposes. Peter, I appreciate his help! After the 600th image was taken, Peter looked at me and said, "I just can't image what you can do for me as a payback!" Just maybe -- a Lost Trotting Parks T-Shirt! Peter, thank you for your help!

Lost Trotting Parks Blog Index for Keyword Searches

Scarborough's Lost Trotting Park

Is there a Lost Trotting Park in Wells Maine? Two Possibilities

Knox Trotting Park -- July 6th Celebration

Greg Wilkinson of Auburn, Maine has been collecting fair and trotting horse memorabilia for many years. Greg has graciously agreed to share images from his collection.

Did a Trotting Park Exist in Rockland on Limerock Street?

In a telephone conversation with Gil Merriman who is a volunteer with the Rockland Historical Society, I learned that there might have been an old trotting park on Limerock Street in Rockland, Maine. This storyboard shows the possible location. As more research is done, we will discover if there was a trotting park in Rockland.

Knox Trotting Park -- Thomaston, Maine

Peggie McCrea from the Thomaston Historical Society kindly gathered the information and images that had been collected over the years.

1869 May 28 Rockland, Maine Newspaper Article from Sandy Delano

-KNOX TROTTING PARK-

There will be a trot at this park

On Saturday, June 5, for the following

Purses: Purse of $50., $30 to the first,

And $20 to the second. This purse is

For all horses that never trotted for

Money. Also that day, a purse of $50

For any horse that will trot the nearest

To three minutes.

All entries must be made previous to

Friday, June 4 at 5 o'clock. To J.T. Berry

Of this city or Sanford Delano of Thomaston.

Mr. Delano who has leased the park for

Five years, has made improvements and in the

Course of a few days will have a first class

Hotel, to accommodate all with meals who visit

The park.

Mr. J.M. Reed, a celebrated horse trainer

May be found at the track from this time, ready

To take charge of horses for all persons who

Wish to fit their horses for the turf.

Taken from 1877 Business Ads:

Knox Trotting Park

First Race – 2:50 Class

Purse of $80 for Horses that have neber beaten 2:50; $35 to first; 20 to second, 15 to third; 10 to fourth

Second Race – 2:40 class

Purse of $125 for Horses that have never beaten 2:40: $60 to 1^st; 35 to 2^nd; 20 to 3^rd; 10 to 4^th

Admission: Gentlemen 35 cents; Ladies 25 cents, Carriages Free

From 1885 Jul 1 Thomaston Herald

The horse trot at Knox Trotting Park tomorrow and Saturday ought to draw out a good crowd. Some good horses have been entered and a very successful set of races may be expected. Admission 50 cents. Carriages free.

In a 1913 Inventory: Clara Black - ¼ Knox Trotting Park - $500

Good-bye Rigby -- You Never Had a Chance . . .

The Passing of Rigby Park 1900

East Side and South Turn at Rigby Park

North Turn and West Side of Rigby Park

Clips from Rigby -- Action on the Track 1898

E.C. Jordan Engineering Plans for Rigby Park

Last week I drove to South Portland to walk Rigby Park. As Kathy DiPhilippo and I carefully stepped our way through the bog and Rigby Park ditch, we wondered where park patrons got off the train. We wondered where were the stables located, the grandstand -- the buildings of Rigby. Clark Thompson had told me that E.C. Jordan was the engineering firm that worked with the builder. The phone directory actually listed E.C. Jordan. I called and a health lab answered the phone. I then checked with the City of Westbrook and found out that E.C. Jordan had gone out of business 20 years ago. My mind went into random -- I started called engineering firms in the Portland area. My second call provided me with the correct lead. An engineer informed me that E.C. Jordan was bought out by an engineering firm 20 years ago. This firm was also bought out. This firm went out of business. One of the engineers at this company, Owen Haskell, took over the collection of E.C. Jordan paper. Haskell formed a Falmouth based engineering firm. He is now retired, however, the firm still retains his named, Owen Haskell, Inc. I called and spoke with Janna. Janna informed me that they did indeed have the E.C. Jordan archives and would take a look to see if there were any plans related to Rigby Park. On Wednesday of this week, I received an e-mail from Janna with three attachments. The three storyboards with this post are the E.C. Jordan plans for Rigby Park. I thank Owen Haskell, Inc. for sharing these plans through the Lost Trotting Parks Heritage Center.

Opening Day at Rigby Park

The Building of Rigby Park

Excerpted from

A History of Cape Elizabeth, Maine by William Jordan

"Under these circumstances a considerable degree of interest was aroused in 1891 when it was revealed that a professional track was to be build in Cape Elizabeth. Under the auspices of the Maine Mile Track Association the construction of a mile track on the site of what is now the Rigby Rail Yard was contemplated. Among the early supporters of the track were the racing enthusiasts General Charles P. Mattocks and John F. Haines. The association was duly incorporated, with capital stock of $25,000 to sell at ten dollars per square. Approximately 85 acres of land was purchased with shares of stock from H.N. Jose, south-east of Skunk Hill, now Thornton Heights.

Actual construction of the track was entrusted to Seth Griffin of Joliet, Illinois. His experience in the building of rack tracks was very extensive, having constructed the mile track at Nashville, Tennessee, the Ha-Ha Track at Minneapolis, a half-mile track for William Rockefeller at Greenwich, Connecticut, and the track at Narragansett Park, Providence, Rhode Island.

In constructing the track at Rigby Park, as it was to be called, Griffin utilized a system that was perculiarly his own. After excavating the bed of the track, he took tough fibrous turf, cut in pieces about a foot square and laid them edgewise, closely packed, throughout its entire length and breadth. On top of the turf foundation Griffin spread a four inch surface of loam that would pack down, producing ultimately a tenacious spongy mat so essential to the faster tracks of that era. A high water table was necessary to retain the springy quality of the track and was easily achieved at the Rigby site. When finished it was oval in shape with curved ends of seventy rods each in length, the straight sides being ninety rods each in length. This track was considered by Griffin to be his masterpiece, the "acme of tracks," as he expressed it.

The stables were constructed early in 1893 by Henry Soule of Portland. The first to be build was 240 feet in length and 40 feet in width, with the side facing the track two stories in height to accommodate offices and waiting rooms. Three more stables were soon added raising the total number of stalls to one hundred. Approximately 125,000 board feet of lumber were consumed in the construction of these buildings."

Text courtesy of the South Portland Historical Society

News Clippings for the Rigby Park Storyboards
courtesy of Clark P. Thompson,
Founder of Maine's Trotting Horse Heritage Trail

Grand Horse Fair at Rigby Park

Views of Rigby Park

Permission to use theses images of Rigby Park were given by the South Portland Historical Society. The images are owned and copyrighted by the Society. Contact the Society for permission to use these images.

Directum Defeats Nelson at Rigby Park

Rigby Park Now Forgotten -- A bog between the PanAm railroad tracks and the Rumery Industrial Park

Opening day at Rigby Park was in 1893. The last races were held in 1899. In 1900 Rigby Park was boarded up. All the buildings were demolished by the end of 1903

Walking the track at Rigby Park

On Saturday, my wife Libby and I traveled to Portland for the day. We drove over to the Rumery Industrial Park so I could show her where Rigby Park was located. We decided to walk the tracks to see what was on the Rigby Yard side of the Park. We saw what we thought were sections of the track. We also saw several cement piers that may have been foundations to some of the building at the park. The top storyboard focuses on the Rigby Yard side of the Park. This is the side where the grandstands were probably located. The bottom storyboard focuses on the south turn of the track.

Today was an adventure. I left Hallowell around 8:00 a.m. and arrived in South Portland around 9:00. In South Portland, I met up with Kathryn DiPhilippo, Director of the South Portland Historical Society. Our plan was to drive to the location of Rigby Park, one of Maine's Lost Trotting Parks. We drove to Rumery Street to see how we could enter the former grounds of the trotting park and actually stand on the track. Our first attempt was to try to enter the parcel of land at the upper in of the track. Here we ran into a storm drain, wetlands, and difficult walking.

Earlier we had spoken to Mr. Graves who was tightening the gas line on a forklift. Mr. Graves had actually trained trotting horses in New Hampshire. As we were planning another attempt, Mr. Graves informed us that his manager recommended that we drive on the dirt road that would take us by the railroad tracks that run by the South Portland Landfill. We were told to walk down the tracks until we could see what used to be the track at Rigby Park. With our Google Earth aerial photo of Rigby, we were able to walk onto the property sidestepping wet areas and finally onto the track.

We were at the end of the track with the lower turn. The track still maintained it grading -- the track was higher on the outside edge. As we stood on the track, we tried to visualize where the grandstands may have been located. Where was the main gate and the other buildings at Rigby. Was the Rigby Hotel located nearby? There are still many questions to be answered. However, here we were standing on the track where Hod Nelson's champion trotting stallion Nelson recorded his fastest time of 2.09. Here, in 1894, Directum defeated Nelson in three heats.

More information on Rigby Park will be posted in the near future

Ralph Webber Photographs 1913 to 1919

Today, with my granddaughter, Laila Brady, I ventured to the Kennebec Historical Society. I was advised to take a look at Ralph Webber's photograph album (1913 to 1919) with hopes that I would find photos of the Augusta Driving Park -- Augusta's Lost Trotting Park. Unfortunately, the hunt for pictures of the driving park continues. However, Ralph Webber took some great photos. So here courtesy of the Kennebec Historical Society are images of Augusta, Monhegan, Mt. Katahdin, Moxie Falls, and Boothbay Harbor.

Sunnyside Farm House survived for Many Years

My thanks to Bill Flagg who sent pictures taken many years ago of the residence of Sunnyside Farm and the Nelson Farm Garage. Based on the A.W. Treat painting of the stallion Nelson with the Buildings of Sunnyside in the background, the garage must have been built after the large horse barn was torn down. The garage was owned by Roland Marcoux, Bernie Butler's uncle.

Bill Flagg was born on the second floor of the Sunnyside residence. Bernie Butler, who was born on Sawyer Street, is Bill's cousin.

The first image in this post is cropped from the 1888 painting of Nelson with the buildings of Sunnyside Farm in the background. The shape of the residence building in the photo and the painting match. Upon request, the oil painting by A.W. Treat can be viewed at the Maine State Museum.

Google Analytics: Visitors to Lost Trotting Parks

Statistical Snapshot of Visitors to Maine's Lost Trotting Parks Blog

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Most of these visits between 11/09 and 3/10
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Of all the visitors to Lost Trotting Parks, Maine sent 517 visits via 52 cities.

Maine Towns/Cities Visiting Lost Trotting Parks

1. Hallowell
2. Augusta
3. Lewiston
4. Auburn
5. Portland
6. Bangor *
7. Bangor *
8. Greenville
9. Brewer
10. Farmingdale
11. Falmouth
12. Kennebunk
13. Monmouth
14. Presque Isle
15. Lincoln *
16. Lincoln *
17. Norridgewock
18. Jay
19. Benedicta
20. Cranberry Isles
21. Brunswick
22. Norridgewock
23. Greenville
24. Ogunquit
25. Buxton
26. Monmouth
27. Lewiston
28. Cornish
29. Falmouth
30. Belfast
31. Bryant Pond
32. Cumberland Center
33. Bethel
34. Rockland
35. Stetson
36. Readfield
37. Rockland
38. Orono
39. Sebec
40. Waterville
41. Westbrook
42. Anson
43. South Paris
44. Gorham
45. Cranberry Isles
46. Bar Harbor
47. Old Orchard Beach
48. South Portland
49. Raymond
50. Mexico
51. Gardiner
52. Bridgton

* Bangor and Lincoln have duplicate entries.

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Trotting History in Fredericton New Brunswick

This link will take you to a web page that outlines the history of trotting in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Maine horses often trotted in New Brunswick. The famous stallion Nelson trotted his best time at the Moosepath Trotting Park in St. John.