Raceland was a estate in

Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston ...

, owned by John R. Macomber. The estate contained Macomber's residence, stables, dog kennels, as well as a horse track,

steeplechase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...

course, and golf course.

Original building

Raceland was built in 1925. It was designed by the firm of Parker, Thomas & Rice. The original structure was a wooden frame building with a slate roof. Macomber's residence was located on one end of the building and the stable was located at the other. There was also a flat track, a

course, and an enclosed area for spectators. Racing began in June 1927, and Macomber opened Raceland to the public free of charge for one day of the annual horse meet. By 1930, the meet attracted 29,200 spectators. On August 1, 1930, a fire that started in the

hayloft A hayloft is a space above a barn, stable or cow-shed, traditionally used for storage of hay or other fodder for the animals below. Haylofts were used mainly before the widespread use of very large Baler, hay bales, which allow simpler handling ...

resulted in $200,000 worth of damage as well as the death of Macomber's favorite dog. The only thing left of the buildings were the foundations.

Second structure

During the winter of 1930–31, work was begun to rebuild Raceland. The stables and club house were built with the same plans, but instead used brick, stile, steel, and concrete to make the structure more fire resistant. The club house was also enlarged. The steeple of Macomber's home was topped by a

weather vane A wind vane, weather vane, or weathercock is an instrument used for showing the direction of the wind. It is typically used as an architectural ornament to the highest point of a building. The word ''vane'' comes from the Old English word , m ...

depicting his most famous horse, Petee-Wrack, a half-brother of Triple Crown winner

Gallant Fox Gallant Fox (March 23, 1927 – November 13, 1954) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who is the second winner of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing, American Triple Crown. In a racing career which la ...

Later years

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

racing continued at Raceland until 1935, when

Suffolk Downs Suffolk Downs is a former Thoroughbred race track in East Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The track opened in 1935 after being built by Joseph A. Tomasello for a cost of $2 million. It was sold in May 2017 to a developer who plans to cre ...

opened. Raceland continued to host a number of other events including the Framingham District Kennel Club Dog Show—New England's largest outdoor dog show. In 1939, it was the site of the first meeting of the Vintage Motor Car Club of America. Macomber died on May 11, 1955, at the age of 80. His will provided for the contiunace of Raceland to care for his horses and dogs for the rest of their lives. Never married, he left much of his estate to the

Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell Animal Medical Center (MSPCA-Angell) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with its main headquarters on South Huntington Avenue in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Bo ...

(MSPCA). Scenes for the 1959 film ''

The Man in the Net ''The Man in the Net'' is a 1959 American film noir mystery film starring Alan Ladd and Carolyn Jones, and directed by Michael Curtiz. The supporting cast features Diane Brewster. Plot Ex-commercial artist John Hamilton (Alan Ladd) and wife Lin ...

'' were filmed at Raceland. From 1959 to 1967, it was the site of the Millwood Hunt Club horse show. In 1971, of the estate were acquired by the town of Framingham for conservation purposes. Known as the Macomber Reservation, a hiking trail is open to the public. In 1981, the MSPCA reopened Raceland as the Macomber Farm, a working farm and educational facility. The farm closed in 1986 and was purchased by a developer who constructed single-family homes on the property.

Original building

Second structure

Later years

References

Further reading