Serendipity -- Driving by Beech Ridge Speedway

Yesterday I had a full day -- driving (more than 300 miles) and meetings with Mike Sweeney at Scarborough Downs and Jean Emerson (publisher of Northeast Harness News) in Saco. After these meetings I ventured to Buxton to meet with Lou Emery in order to return the 1893 premium book of the Buxton and Hollis Agricultural Society. After my meeting with Lou I was scheduled to return to the Maine Mall to meet Dennis Danie who was accompanying me to Gonic, New Hampshire to deal with my lost 67 Chevy Pickup (another story). Being a nondirectional (new word) sort of person I set my GPS and set off from Skip Road. I ended up calling my ISP man and as I spoke with him I couldn't hear my GPS directions. My GPS kept recalculating. Finally, I started paying attention and set off on the new course. As I was bombing my way to the Payne Road in Scarborough, I suddenly realized that I was driving by the Beech Ridge Speedway (location of the former Ling Trotting Park from the 1880's). At some point I knew that I would be taking pictures of the speedway. I suddenly realized today was the day! I quickly stopped my car, got out my camera, and started taking pictures. After the first round of pictures I noticed an open gate to the main office. Here I spoke with Ralph Cusack, the father of Andy Cusack,the current owner. Ralph gave me permission to take pictures of the track. I drove up on and around the track taking pictures as I stopped along the way. Therefore, the unintended slideshow of Beech Ridge Speedway!

Ralph provided me with the trail of ownership for the speedway. Jim McConnell built the speedway around 1950. Calvin Reynolds became the second owner of the speedway. Ralph purchased the speedway in 1981 and sold it to his son in the mid 1990s. In the near future we may have more posts on the Ling Trotting Park and the Beech Ridge Speedway.

The aerial view of the Beech Ridge Speedway was saved from Google Earth.

Ling Trotting Park in Scarborough -- Now Beech Ridge Speedway

First Post: The Nelson Bloodline

As this story unfolds I believe you will feel the life and times of Hod Nelson and the stallion that bore his name. Hod Nelson was a civil war veteran. He was born in Palermo, Maine in 1843, the son of Benjamin Nelson. During this time, Benjamin Nelson was a local shopkeeper. The towns of China and Palermo had close ties -- both through families and local businesses. Through these interactions Hod Nelson met and eventually married Emma Pinkham Jones. This was a fortuitous union in that Emma's father owned the broodmare Gretchen.

The following article was published in The Horseman in December of 1893. Cheryl Hendricksen of NEPLAINS.COM scanned the article from their collection of harness racing memorabilia. I thank her for this most valuable contribution.

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The Story of Nelson -- Suzette Nelson -- Gertrude Nelson -- The Nelson Maternal Bloodline

Throughout November I will post the story of the Nelson bloodline. I am sure that as I post this story other information will become available. In October I contacted individuals in Australia, Canada and Austria attempting to collect information that will make this story memorable for readers. As you read the story if you have any comments or information, please e-mail me at lifework50@gmail.com.

Steve T.

Abner Ames -- Farming with Horses -- Murphy Road, Fort Fairfield

This post features Abner Ames, an Aroostook County potato farmer from Fort Fairfield. Abner farmed because that was all he knew. He was a hunter and a fisherman. He lost his first farm on the Murphy Road in Fort Fairfield due to hale storms that devastated his potato plants in three consecutive years. Three other families lived on the Murphy Road during this period: the Cassidy, Davenport, and White families. Today their homes and farm buildings are gone. In his farming career, Abner worked four different properties. His last farm was on the Aroostook Falls Road. While living on the Murphy Road, he purchased a retired trotting horse named Spark Direct. It was said that whenever Spark Direct would hit the main road, he would take off at a good trot!

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A Bit of Trotting Horse History -- May King -- Sire of Bingen

Lately my research has taken on a project involving the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. This project started when Kelly Nelson, a descendant of Hod Nelson, visited Hallowell. Our conversation led us to wondering if there were any horses alive today that would be a descendant of Nelson 4209. My cousin Clark had told me many months ago that if Nelson had any bloodline left it would be found in Australia.

I contacted a standardbred auction house in Australia and they referred me to John Peck, a publisher of an Australasian harness racing magazine and a harness racing historian. John worked on the database on harness racing that is accessed through www.classicfamilies.net. John found the Australisian connection to Nelson through the horse Nelson Bingen. Nelson Bingen by Bingen was foaled in 1912 and exported to New Zealand in 1914. Nelson Bengen's Dam was Suzette Baron. Her dam was Suzette Nelson by Nelson.

Another mare by Nelson was Gertrude Nelson. Her family line still exists in Canada and the United States. Bingen's sire was May King. May King ended up being terribly maligned and in 1905 was sold at auction in New York City for $235. The buyer was N.B. Parsons of Fort Fairfield, Maine. Parsons sold May King to A.T. Hoyt also from Fort Fairfield. May King died on April 8, 1911 at the age of 25.

Last week I called Rayle Reed Ainsworth to see if she knew anything about N.B. Parsons or A.T. Hoyt. Rayle referred me to Marilyn Chase who was originally a Hoyt from Fort Fairfield. Marilyn knew nothing of Parsons, but she did know that A.T. Hoyt was a relative whose father and grandfather had farms that were once on the Hoyt Road in Fort Fairfield. A.T. Hoyt was a car saleman who died in 1952. Marilyn believed that the burial location for May King would probably been on the grandfather's farm. The pictures of Hoyt Road and properties below were taken by Tony Levesque and Mike Bosse.

Death of Seth Griffin -- Builder of Rigby Park

Cheryl and Mike Hendricksen, owners of Neplains.com provided me with the articles regarding Seth Griffin's death and the photograph of Seth Griffin. Mike and Cheryl have been wonderful support throughout the past year as I have developed the Lost Trotting Parks Blog. They sell vintage postcards and trotting horse memorabilia. Check out their website at http://www.neplains.com. They often have Maine memorabilia for sale!

Monmouth Historical Society

What is a Record?

What Is a Record ?

A Record is a fact written down officially for preservation and reference. When, in a race, the rules require the time made to be written down, the writing of that time is the "record" of the time made. The time is officially ascertained and officially recorded. When one horse trots against another, the time made by the horse first to the wire is recorded against him. When a horse trots against time, say to beat 2:28, and his time is recorded as 2:28, that time is officially ascertained and must be officially recorded. The essence of the contest in this case is the time made, and hence it must be measured with greater care than where it is horse against horse. Now, when the horse has been officially timed and that time officially recorded as shall we reject that fact because he did not trot a quarter of a second faster? How can we avoid accepting it as a fact duly ascertained and officially recorded? Where is the rule which provides that if a horse against time does not win, the time made shall not be a record? It makes no difference what the "usage" may have been in the long past, the rules as they now stand require the time so made to be recorded. They make it an official "record." We have always accepted it as a " record," and we will continue to so accept it till the rules provide that lime so made shall not be recorded. In this office we have nothing to do with the future racing career of the horse. All we want to know is that he trotted regularly and to rule in 2:2S#. and with this performance officially recorded we are compelled to admit him and his family to all the benefits of the 2:10 class.

Excerpted from

Wallace's monthly, Volume 14

By John Hankins Wallace

The Story of Rigby Park from the 1902 Horse Review

This storyboard tells us the story of Rigby Park in South Portland. The first races at Rigby were in 1893; the last in 1899. The park was boarded up in 1900 -- demolished in 1903. After reading this storyboard, enter Rigby Park into the LTP Search and revisit the other storyboards about Rigby Park.

Stephen D. Thompson -- A Retrospective

Today I was working up on the third floor of our barn preparing for what we hope will be the last garage sale. This one may be the biggest. I opened a suitcase and found Thompson family pictures. There were my baby proofs -- the poses not chosen and perhaps my favorite picture. I am often asked how I got into the Lost Trotting Parks Project. Years ago, my cousin Clark and I were playing in the rock pile beyond the hay field across the road from his house. Somehow we decided that when we got old enough we would move to Texas and run a horse farm. Clark and I never made it to Texas. Clark did act on his passion for horses. At one time he owned a trotting horse and actually drove his trotter in a race at the Northern Maine Fair. Clark got me involved with his Waterville based research tied to the horse Nelson and the fairgrounds of the North Kennebec Agricultural Society. We never made it to Texas. However, we do share this passion tied to the age of "When the Horse was King." The following storyboard best describes my passionate awakening!

A.L. Thompson -- Limestone -- Farming with Horses

In this post, I share a bit of my family history. These photos were taken in Limestone, Maine between 1920 and 1935. My grandfather, Arthur Leroy Thompson, known as Roy Thompson, originally owned a farm that was located on what is now the former Loring Air Force Base. My grandmother, not liking the location, encouraged my grandfather to trade farms with the farmer who owned a farm overlooking Limestone. This farm was also located just up the road from her childhood home. The trade arrangement worked and Roy and Laila built their home "up on the hill." The farm buildings still exist.

1951 Unity Fair at the Unity Raceway -- Full Page Ad in the Waterville Morning Sentinel

Ed Knowles Opened Unity Raceway for the 1949 Racing Season

Last night Bob Knowles, owner of the Unity Raceway from 1960 to 1980 met me prior to the Lost Trotting Parks Presentation at the Unity Historical Society. He provided the images for the following storyboards. Ed Knowles hosted the Unity Fair in 1951. If you examine these photos closely you will see many of the buildings associated with the Unity Trotting Park. A large house was located across from the trotting park. The barns were used to house some of the trotting horses. The long el attached to the house across the street was once used as a dance hall.

Unity Raceway and Bob Knowles

Earlier today Nancy Nason called and gave me Bob Knowles' telephone number in Unity. I called Bob. Bob's father Ed purchased the Unity Trotting Park from a Mr. MacIntosh. According to Bob, after the Unity Trotting Park ceased operation it was purchased by a Mr. MacIntosh as a training track. For a period the property was controlled by the Legion. Bob's father purchased the track and operated a raceway. Eventually, Bob took over the raceway which he sold to the Nasons in 1980.

Unity Raceway Grandstand May Go Back to the Old Trotting Park

After we left the Common Ground Fair, Dennis St. Pierre and I decided to go and take another look at the Unity Raceway. The races were held yesterday and the cleanup crew was there working. I spoke with one of the crew members. I was directed to a store across from the track. The store owner, Nancy Nason was also the owner of the raceway. Nancy and her husband purchased the raceway from Robert Knowles. Robert's father Ed may have the purchaser of the trotting park who converted the track for cars. We are currently attempting to contact Robert Knowles.

Carriage Ride Demonstrations at the Common Ground Fair

Was Freeport's Trotting Park Located on the Pownal Road? -- Four Possible Locations

Abstract of Returns -- Maine Agricultural Societies 1857 -- Locations -- People -- Engravings

Horses as Field Workers -- Common Ground Fair

Laila at the Common Ground Fair

Horse Demonstration at the Common Ground Fair

Unity Raceway

When people became more interested in cars than they were in horses, the old trotting park quickly moved on to cars. According to Robert Winship, harness racing ended at the Unity Trotting Park in the late 1930's. Racing with cars became the rage!

The second photo from the left on the bottom row shows a dirt road that may have been part of the original trotting track.

Now Unity Raceway -- Once Unity Trotting Park

A Day at the Farmington Fair -- Thursday September 23, 2010

Unity Trotting Parks -- Two Photographs

Grand Opening Poster -- Unity 1875

When speaking with my cousin, Clark Thompson, the other day I mentioned that we had limited images to use in Unity's Lost Trotting Parks storyboards. Clark informed me that the Vickery Collection at the Special Collections Library at U. Maine's Fogler Library had an original 1875 Poster of the Grand Opening of the Unity Trotting Park. I contacted Elaine Smith at the Special Collections Library and she located the poster. My friend, Dennis St. Pierre, who is a graduate student at Orono, made time to take a digital photo of the poster. So my thanks to all! I believe the effort was worthwhile.

Unity's Lost Trotting Park -- Unity Park Association -- Stevens Trotting Park

Photos of the Windsor Fair Museum

Lost Trotting Parks at Commonground Fair and Unity Historical Society

This Sunday at 2:00 PM, Stephen Thompson will speak at the Livestock Speaker's Area at the Commonground Fair. Thompson's presentation will focus on the history of horses in Kennebec County, the story of Nelson, Maine's World Trotting Stallion, and Maine's Lost Trotting Parks.

On Tuesday, September 28, 2010, at 7:00 PM Stephen will present Maine's Lost Trotting Parks at the Unity Historical Society. The Unity Park Association will be featured. We are still looking for photographs of trotting in Unity. Harness racing ended in Unity in the late 1930's. If your family was in any way connected to trotting in Unity, please check your old photos to see if you might have an image of the Unity Trotting Park (also known as the Stevens Trotting Park.