The Lost Trotting Parks Heritage Center -- Storyboard Archives

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Charles Taylor

Roger Smith send me this Charles Taylor post card that was published in 1908. Perhaps this is a sign -- we should become harness racing drivers!

Cornish Trotting Park -- September 11, 2010

Lost Trotting Parks Viewership -- Across the United States and Maine

Friday, September 10, 2010

ALL-SO -- Fairview Stock Farm -- Skowhegan, Maine -- T. Pooler, Proprietor

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Lost Trotting Park Presentations -- Dixfield and Farmington

Presentations on Maine's Lost Trotting Parks will take place on September 9, 2010 at the Dixfield Historical Society and at the Farmington Historical Society on September 13, 2010. Contact the local historical societies for time and location.

Dixfield Historical Society

63 Main Street

Dixfield, Maine

207-562-1100

For the Farmington Historical Society call 207-778-2835.

Hope to see you there!

1914 Score Card of the Eastern Maine State Fair

See you at the 12th Anniversary of the Cornish Horseman's Day!

This Saturday I will travel to Cornish to participate in the 12th Annual Cornish Horseman's Day. I will be doing selective videotaping. I am also setting up a table to sell t-shirts with vintage images -- Nelson, ALL-SO, Hopeful, Messenger, Farmington Fair, 1893 Promo Image for the Kite Track, and more! See you there!

Weather.com predicts a great day!

Event: Twelfth Anniversary of the Cornish Horseman's Day

Date: September 11, 2010

Time: 12:00 noon

Cost: $3.00

Local and non-local harness racing enthusiasts, horsemen, and horsewomen have applauded this popular annual event. Attendance has grown significantly every year. It is a day of fun for everyone and many amateur horsemen and women are given the change to try their skills at harness racing.

This year's event will benefit the
Cornish Fairgrounds Restoration Fund.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Images of Dixfield -- When the Horse was King!

East Oxford Society 1877

Monday, September 6, 2010

A Thank You to the Windsor Historical Society

My thanks to Bob Brann, Rick Cummings, and all the volunteers who took their time to work at the Windsor Historical Society's Museum during Windsor Fair Week. I was invited to set up The Lost Trotting Parks History Display in the Cappers House. Each volunteer made me feel welcomed. It was great listening to the kitchen talk! Although Alvin is quite upset with me, squirrel stew is becoming one of my favorite dishes! It was a great week (also long!). Throughout the week more than 129 fairgoers visited the Lost Trotting Parks Blog. I am working on a slideshow of photographs of the museum.

Again I thank the wonderful people who make the Windsor Historical Society a memorable experience for all during Windsor Fair Week.

At the Judge's Stand -- Windsor Fair

Libby and I were at the Judge's Stand when the Windsor Fair Invitational was run. Libby took a few still photos and I videotaped the race. Here we are at the Judge's Stand.

Windsor Fair -- Harness Racing -- Labor Day 2010

John Eustis and Winthrop Messenger

Sunday, September 5, 2010

When the Horse was King in Dixfield, Maine

Horse with Braids

The Horse Stables at Windsor Fair

Today I walked over to the horse stables to talk with some of the horse owners and take a few pictures of the horses in their stalls.

View from the Judge's Stand at Windsor Fair

Simulcasts at the Windsor Fair

Yesterday I videotaped and photographed the track at Windsor Fair from the Judge's Stand that is in the infield. While there I ventured behind the tote board to meet Mindy Smith. Mindy operates the video camera and the simulcasting satellite feeds to other track and off track betting facilities.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Dixfield Builds Its Trotting Park

-- Images and text provided by Peter Stowell and the Dixfield Historical Society --

Dixfield's Lost Trotting Park

Peter Stowell, the historian for the Dixfield Historical Society provided photographs and text for the Dixfield Lost Trotting Park Storyboards. A Lost Trotting Parks Presentation is scheduled on September 9th at the Dixfield Historical Society.

Maine Track Records to 1918 -- Nelson's Championship Times

So Fortunate that Alvin was a Chipmonk

Greetings from Windsor Fair! Today I did not stray from the Lost Trotting Parks History Room at the Windsor History Museum. The LTP History room is in a building whose kitchen area was built in 1802. Volunteers work in this kitchen recreating foods cooked over the fire. Today I got to taste squirrel stew!

Pal Sealye prepares squirrel stew at the Windsor History Museum.

Photographs taken by Pat Sealye and Stephen Thompson

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Old Friends Come Together at Windsor Fair

Today I visited the paddocks at Windsor Fair. Roger Smith set up an opportunity for me to meet Chet Carter, an owner/driver from Washington County. Edgar Douglas, an owner/trainer from Belgrade visited the paddocks to see old friends. I spent time with both Chet and Edgar. Additional posts will feature Chet and Edgar.

Topo Maps and the Lost Trotting Parks of Kingfield and Stratton

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Union Fair -- A Tradition Since 1869

The Union Fair Storyboard Display was sponsored

by Betsi Jane Taylor Insurance and Financial Services, Augusta, Maine

1934 Premium Book Cover

The cover of the 1934 Premium Book of the 47th Fair features harness racing. Was this image reprinted from a painting?

Image courtesy of the Windsor Historical Society

1931 Premium Book Cover

Courtesy of the Windsor Historical Society

South Kennebec Agricultural Society -- Its People

Windsor Fair Since 1888

The Windsor Fair Storyboard Display was sponsored by
Betsi Jane Taylor Insurance and Financial Services, Augusta, Maine.

Mission of Lost Trotting Parks

The mission of the Lost Trotting Parks Heritage Center is to preserve the stories and images of the 19th century to present day that illustrate the history of Maine's harness racing, lost trotting parks, fairs, agricultural societies, Granges, and the significance of the of the horse in society.

Our plan is to reach our mission is through Preservation, Education, Promotion and Partnerships.

Through the Center's website and educational outreach to Maine school students, community organizations, agricultural fairs, and businesses, the Center will retell the once told stories of a slice of Maine history that is quickly being forgotten. Most Mainers have lost their connection to the horse and the horse's contribution to a past way of life. Maine people who work in the harness racing industry are today's living history of the age when the horse was king. Through your financial support of the Lost Trotting Parks Heritage Center, you will help to tell the stories of Maine Harness Racing and horse breeding throughout the ages.

FOR BETTER VIEWING

Lost Trotting Parks storyboards are typically 12 by 18 inches. To view storyboards, click on the storyboard and it will automatically open as a larger image. If there are multiple storyboards in a post, click on the first image. This will create a slideshow that you control by clicking on the next image icon that you will see at the bottom of your screen.

If the storyboards are still too small to view text, open individual storyboards in a separate window. This allows you to enlarge the storyboards to read text and view images in greater detail. To open a storyboard in a new window, place your cursor over the image, right click on your mouse, and select open in a new window. This will allow you to use Ctrl + and Ctrl - to control the size of the storyboard. When you are finished viewing the storyboard, close the window and you will return to the LTP blog.

Trotting Horse Art Detectives

In the 1891, Colorado artist, C.B. Fish, produced an oil painting of the famous trotting stallion Nelson. The Lewiston Sun Journal reported that Fish had completed the painting and would ship it to Sunnyside Farm. Fish also painted a trotter from Skowhegan named All-So. We do not know if the painting of Nelson still exists. The two paintings below are examples of Fish's work. If you have knowledge of the oil painting of Nelson, please e-mail Stephen Thompson at lifework50@gmail.com or call 207-623-3076.

The Fish pictures were made available by Gallery 44.

To inquire about the Fish paintings contact:

http://www.gallery44llc.com

Maine's Trotting Horse Heritage Trail

Published in 2009, Maine’s Trotting Horse Heritage Trail, guides readers through the golden age of the trotting horse. Covering the period between 1820 and 1892, the author, Clark P. Thompson of Bangor, Maine, introduces us to the horses, the people, and places that established the trotting industry in the State of Maine. Thompson’s well researched publication highlights twenty key moments in Maine’s evolvement in trotting. The Heritage Trail begins in Old Orchard Beach and ends in Dover-Foxcroft. This book is your guide to historical markers that have been inscribed and placed in designated Maine communities.

Journey with us and return to the Golden Age of Trotting.

In the book’s foreword, Michael, D. Andrew, President of the Maine Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association, states, “With this book, Clark Thompson has done us a great service by memorializing some of the great progenitors of the Maine trotter, the owners who supported breeding and racing, and the tracks where these horses pleased thousands of Mainers in the 1800s.”

For more information about this book and how to obtain a copy, contact Clark P. Thompson by e-mailing

clarkprice@msn.com.

Maine's Lost Trotting Parks --- OUR MISSION

The trotting industry flourished from the 1820s through the early 1900s. There are a number of reasons that for many the excitement and interest in trotting has diminished. However, the trotting industry still exists. Its history is still rich. Our mission is to conduct research that will reveal to us the history of Maine's forgotten Trotting Tracks and bring back the images and people of another age. Our posts of the Belfast Trotting Track are examples of what we are attempting to find. We will partner with local historical societies, work with local government, and individuals interested in this endeavor. Contact us and help us to fulfill our mission.

NOTE: News articles and other text displayed on this web site are existing texts given to me for use on The Lost Trotting Parks Blog. There has been no additional research on my part to ensure that these accounts are accurate.

Stephen D. Thompson

P.O. Box 263

Hallowell, Maine 04347

E-Mail: lifework50@gmail.com

Cell Phone: 207-623-3076

Nelson Memorabilia

Nelson, the champion trotter, was owned by C.H. Nelson of Waterville, Maine. C.H. (Hod) Nelson owned and operated Sunnyside Horse Farm. The farm's location is where the JFK Mall is now located. At one time, Nelson owned the fairgrounds of the North Kennebec Agricultural and Horticultural Society. We are seeking individuals or organizations that may have Nelson memorabilia, photographs, equipment, and trophies. In addition, we are looking for photographs of the fairgrounds and trotting track that was once located behind the Pine Grove Cemetery. If you have information regarding Nelson or the fairgrounds, please e-mail Stephen Thompson (lifework50@gmail.com) or call 207-623-3076.

Citizens of Bethel Form Riverside Park Trotting Association

5-8-1891 Oxford County Advertiser:

Bethel: The citizens of Bethel met Tuesday and formed an organization known as The Riverside Park Trotting Association and chose the following officers: C.M. Wormell, president; J.A. Twaddle, vice president; E.M. Walker, secretary; E.S. Kilborn, treasurer; trustees, G.P. Bean, chairman; J.M. Philbrook, H.M. Hastings, Moses A. Mason, O.P. Farrington, E.C. Rowe. The trustees have leased the land for ten years and intend to have one of the best tracks in the state. The location and land are all that could be asked for the trustees mean business and will spare no pains or money.

Text from work of Donald Bennett, Bethel, Maine

Check out The Bethel Journals!

The Bethel Historical Society

Maine's Turf, Farm and Home

The newspaper, Turf, Farm, and Home was first published in Auburn, Maine around 1890. This newspaper was considered the horseman's periodical. In 1897, the paper merged with Maine's Horse Breeders' Monthly and J.W. Thompson of Canton became the editor. About 1912, the Turf, Farm and Home merged with the Maine Press and continued publication until 1920. The Fogler Library has issues from 1912 on. However, there are only 24 documented issues of the paper between 1890 and 1912.

This is a call for issues of the Turf, Farm, and Home.

Contact Stephen Thompson at 207-623-3076, if you know where there are existing issues of this newspaper.

Issues from 1890 to 1910 will tell the stories of Maine Horsemen

during the age of 'When the Horse was King.'

The Lost Trotting Parks Storyboard Archives