Charter Oak Park
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Charter Oak Park was an American
harness racing Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...
track in
Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
, that was open from 1874 to 1893, when an anti-gambling bill resulted in its closure. It reopened in 1897 and remained in operation until 1931.


Early years

Charter Oak Park was constructed by the Connecticut Stock Breeders' Association at a cost of around $100,000. The one-mile oval was located on a 143 acre parcel of land located two-miles from Hartford's business district. The grandstand had a seating capacity of 4,000 and room for an extra 2,000 patrons. The area under the stands was fitted for use by agricultural fairs. The park opened on August 25, 1874. Goldsmith Maid won the final race of the first meet. Ebenzer Roberts, Burdett Loomis, and William H. Peck each served as track president during its early years. Alexander Harbison was president from 1878 until 1885, when
Morgan Bulkeley Morgan Gardner Bulkeley (December 26, 1837 – November 6, 1922) was an American politician of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, businessman, and insurance executive. In 1876, he served as the first president of baseball's ...
won a proxy battle to become president of the Connecticut Stock Breeders' Association. Charter Oak Park was a member of the
Grand Circuit The Grand Circuit, also known as the "Big Wheel", is a group of harness racing stakes races run at various race tracks around the United States. Run on one-mile tracks, it is "the oldest continuing horse-racing series in the United States." Th ...
from 1876 to 1894. In addition to holding harness races, Charter Oak Park also hosted college track and field events and bicycle races. From 1874 to 1881 the Connecticut Agricultural Society used the park to host the Connecticut State Fair.


First closure

In 1893, the passed an Anti-
Pool Pool may refer to: Bodies of water * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a roc ...
bill. This ended both horse racing and bicycle racing at Charter Oak Park, as the bill prohibited leasing the property for racing purposes for prizes.


Reopening

On April 4, 1896, the track was purchased at auction by Henry Kennedy for $20,810. Shortly thereafter, the park was acquired by Andrew J. Welch, who hired William B. Fasig as manager. Welch brought horse racing, including Grand Circuit races, back to Charter Oak Park in 1897. On June 16–17, 1905, the track hosted an automobile meet, which included AAA championship race won by
Barney Oldfield Berna Eli "Barney" Oldfield (January 29, 1878 – October 4, 1946) was a pioneer American racing driver. His name was "synonymous with speed in the first two decades of the 20th century". He was the winner of the inaugural List of American ope ...
. The park hosted many other motor races, including a 1911 race between an automobile and a biplane. In 1906, 12 acres of the Charter Oak property were sold to the Chatford Company for the construction of
Luna Park Luna Park is a name shared by dozens of currently operating and defunct amusement parks. They are named after, and partly based on, the first Luna Park (Coney Island, 1903), Luna Park, which opened in 1903 during the heyday of large Coney Islan ...
. The amusement park attracted controversy by operating on Sundays in defiance of the law. Although illegal, the $50 fine was much less than what the park would bring in on a Sunday. In 1908, the park was acquired by the Connecticut Fair Association, which ran it until its closure in 1910. In 1908, the first Connecticut Fair was held at the park. In 1910, Welch sold Charter Oak Park for $175,000 in order to fund a more elaborate fair. The 1911 fair saw President
William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) served as the 27th president of the United States from 1909 to 1913 and the tenth chief justice of the United States from 1921 to 1930. He is the only person to have held both offices. ...
attend some of the day's Grand Circuit races and deliver a speech. The following year presidential candidates
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...
and
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
and Governor Simeon E. Baldwin spoke at the fair. In 1929, the Connecticut State Fair, which had never been financially successful, was canceled. The Grand Circuit races were held that August instead of during
Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...
week when the fair was held.


Closure and demolition

In 1931,
Chase National Bank JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., Trade name, doing business as Chase, is an American National bank (United States), national bank headquartered in New York City that constitutes the retail banking, consumer and commercial bank, commercial banking su ...
took possession of the property. In 1937,
Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially ...
purchased Charter Oak Park in order to construct a new factory there. The track buildings were torn down that year and Pratt & Whitney moved into their new factory in 1939.


References

{{AAA tracks 1874 establishments in Connecticut 1931 disestablishments in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Hartford, Connecticut Defunct horse racing venues in the United States Defunct sports venues in Connecticut Sports venues completed in 1874 Sports venues demolished in 1937