Turf, Farm, Home -- Published in Waterville, Maine

Discovering Merrill, son of Nelson 4209 -- Damariscotta, Maine

Today, Libby and I took a day trip from Hallowell to South Bristol, Bristol and Pemaquid. To arrive at our destinations we were required to drive through Damariscotta. It was on the way back to Hallowell that we drove by the location that once was home to Damariscotta's fairground and trotting park. We drove from Damariscotta the back way to Damariscotta Mills, The pacer, Merrill, was owned by Fred J. Merrill who lived in Damariscotta, and when the pacer, Merrill, retired, he was placed on a property in Damariscotta Mill.s The image below was created by artist, A.W. Treat. In the background you will see a church. In 2010 when I researched Merrill and the image of Merrill, I attempted to locate the property with the church as a reference. My attempts may have found the correct location, but I doubt it. The painting/image was last known to be in the possession of Fred Merrill's descendants. I always thought it would be wonderful if the painting could be located.

Links to the Lost Trotting Parks Archives Posts on Merrill

Merrill was a Pacer, Not a Trotter

Merrill, the Get of Nelson 4209, owned by Fred J Merrill

The All-Heart Campaign -- Profiles of the Men and Women in the Sport of Harness Racing

The All-Heart Campaign was the creation of Laurie Ballard MacKenzie. Laurie's campaign attracted members in Maine's Harness Racing Community to become involved in their personal profiles that included their stories and selected photos. I help Laurie in the All-Heart Campaign. I loved the challenges, the work and the end products. Follow the link below the storyboards to the All-Heart Campaign.

The Link to the All-Heart Campaign

The All-Heart Campaign - Profiles of Maine Harness Horsemen and Women

Telling Your Story: Letting Others Know How Your Life/Work in Harness Racing and with Standardbred Horses has Impacted You, Your Life & Your Family -- Plus the Story of Obrigado

Stories are often never told and if told often forgotten. Memoir writing or telling your stories through writing ensures that your time in the sport of harness racing will be remembered.

To Members of Maine's Harness Racing Community:

The Maine Spirit of the Horse Initiative seeks members of the Maine Harness Racing Community who would be willing to share their memories by sharing their stories. You can tell the stories of how you got involved in harness racing, what motivated you, your best memories, your greatest challenges, and friendships with others over the years. 

If motivated, how would you do this?

Here are some suggestions?

1.Create an outline of what you would like to write. The outline would create a list of topics. These topics would become your writing prompts. Beneath each topic, write a story related to that topic. When done, move onto the next topic.

2. There is a link on losttrottingparks.com called 'Send Stories.' This link lead you to two options. Option One is 'Stories of the Turf.' and Option Two is 'Stories of the Maine Sire Stakes."

Stories of the Turf allows you to write your story with writing prompts or to input your story into a text box,attached a photo

Stories of the Maine Sire Stakes allows you to input your story and attach a photo.

My suggestion is to write your stories in MS Word or another text input program that would then allow you to copy and paste your text into the prompt text boxes or into the large Text Box, enter your story here.

Your link to Stories of the Turf:

Stories of the Turf

Your link to Stories of the Maine Sire Stakes:

Stories of the Maine Sire Stakes

Here might be the simplest suggestion, write your story including a title, attached image and your name to the following e-mail address. 

The Maine Spirit E-Mail Address

These stories will become the content of a special issue of S.Dexter's Maine Spirit of the Turf.

-- A Story Told -- A Horse Not to be Forgotten --

The Story of Obrigado -- A Maine Bred Horse

A Tribute to Currier & Ives

Quick Views of Carroll's Lost Trotting Park, Foxcroft's Lost Trotting Park, and Where the Trotter Lou Dillon broke the 2:00 mile

Single G Defeats John R Braden in Three Heats - Races in Houlton, Bangor and Lewiston -- circa 1925

Single G was truly one of America's best performing Standardbred Horses. Marie Hill in her book, Single G, The Horse that Time Forgot tells Single G's story. After reading this book, Single G may become The Horse that Time Remembered!

Photograph of Single G courtesy of Marie Hill

1889 -- Life Member of the Maine State Agricultural Society - Lewiston

American Sportsman October 2, 1924 - West Cumberland, Jimmy Jordan, Single G Wins in Houlton

American Sportsman - October 4, 1923 - Trotting in Union -- Single G in Bangor

Single G Defeats John R Braden in Three Heats in 1925

S. Dexter's The Maine Spirit of the Turf (March April Issue) Single G & John R Braden

A Digital Periodical published by The Lost Trotting Parks Heritage Center