Contributed by Norway Historical Society
Description
Sulky racing at the Oxford County Fair, held each September at the Oxford County Fairgrounds, Norway/Paris.
Only harness racing was featured at the fair. Two gaits were used: pacing and trotting. A horse that broke gait had to be taken back to the proper gait in order to finish the race. The horses in this photo are pacers heading out of the home stretch turn.
Although established in 1841, it was not until the early summer of 1856 that the Oxford Agricultural Aid Society purchased for the Oxford County Agricultural Society 13 acres of land situated on "the plains" between Norway and Paris. The racetrack probably was not completed in 1856, the first races being run at the fair in 1857.
In later years, training and racing were carried out at the track in appropriate seasons throughout the year. Taken in 1966 to provide a site for the Oxford Hills Cooperative High School, racing did not occur again at the Oxford County Fair until 2003, when a track was completed at the new fair grounds in Oxford.
About This Item
- Title: Harness Racing, Oxford County Fair, ca. 1946
- Creation Date: circa 1946
- Subject Date: circa 1946
-
Locations:
- Norway, Oxford County, ME
- Paris, Oxford County, ME
- Media: Photographic print
- Dimensions: 12.8 cm x 17.7 cm
- Local Code: S555 .M332 O945 #38
- Object Type: Image
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Racetracks (Horse racing)--Maine
- Harness racing--Maine
- Fairs--Maine--Norway
- Exhibitions--Maine--Norway
- Fairs--Maine--Paris
- Exhibitions--Maine--Paris
- Agricultural exhibitions--Maine--Norway
- Horse Racing--Maine--Norway--Photographs
- Oxford County Fair (Me.)--1946--Photographs
- Agricultural exhibitions--Maine--Paris
Other Keywords
For more information about this item, contact:
Norway Historical Society471 Main Street, Norway, ME 04268
(207) 743-7377
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. No Permission is required to use the low-resolution watermarked image for educational use, or as allowed by the applicable copyright. For all other uses, permission is required.
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