Rockingham Park facts for kids
.jpg)
Rockingham Park was a famous horse racing track in Salem, New Hampshire, United States. It was first built in 1906. Many people visited the park to watch and bet on horse races. Even famous horses like Seabiscuit raced there in 1935 and 1936. Another horse, Mom's Command, won her first race at Rockingham Park in 1984.
Besides live horse racing, Rockingham Park also showed races from other tracks on big screens. This is called simulcasting. The last live horse race happened in 2009. Rockingham Park closed its doors for good on August 31, 2016. The land was then sold to build new things. The old racetrack was torn down in the summer of 2017. Today, it is part of a new area called the Tuscan Plaza project.
The New Hampshire Sweepstakes, which is now known as the New Hampshire Lottery, started in 1964. Horse races connected to these sweepstakes tickets were held at Rockingham Park from 1964 to 1967. The main horse race, called the New Hampshire Sweepstakes, came back in 1984. It was a big event during the summer racing season.
In 1991, The Mall at Rockingham Park was built right next to the racetrack. This mall is now the biggest in northern New England. It has many large stores. The mall is managed by a different company and was not connected to the racetrack.
"The Best Racecourse in the World"
On June 28, 1906, Rockingham Park opened its doors for a 21-day horse racing event. It was located near the Salem train depot. More than 10,000 people came to the small New Hampshire town. Some traveled all the way from New York City. People loved the new track so much they called it "the finest racecourse in the world."
A two-year-old horse named Alyth won the very first thoroughbred race. At that time, betting on races was against the law in New Hampshire. So, official betting stopped after just three days. However, people still found ways to bet secretly. After this first event, the track sat empty for five years. But these early days helped create a very important place in New England. It became known for the exciting "sport of kings," which is another name for horse racing.
Quiet Years
When Rockingham Park wasn't being used for horse racing, other interesting things happened there. Before racing returned, the park hosted the first aviation (airplane) meet in northern New England in 1911. During this event, Lieutenant Milling set a new height record. He flew his biplane up to 1,600 feet!
The track also served as a base for soldiers during World War I. The 14th US Army Corps of Engineers used the racecourse as a camp. Soldiers stayed there before they traveled to France.
The racetrack closed again on July 29, 1980, because a fire destroyed the main grandstand building. The track stayed closed for several years. It finally reopened on May 26, 1984.
Motor Racing Fun
Rockingham Park wasn't just for horses; it also hosted exciting motor races! On July 4, 1925, a 100-mile car race was held there. The cars raced at an average speed of 76.8 miles per hour. Motorcycle races were also very popular.
Because these events were so successful, a special 1.25-mile board track was built. This track was made of wood. It was approved by the AAA, which was a very important racing group back then. On October 31, 1925, a 250-mile car race called the Autumn Classic took place.
On August 21, 1926, a motorcycle racer named M. L. "Curly" Fredericks set a speed record. He rode his Altoona motorcycle at 120.3 miles per hour on the oval board track. This was the fastest speed a motorcycle ever reached on such a track. In 1928, Rockingham Park held the last national motorcycle championships ever raced on a board track.
After the wooden track was removed because the wood had rotted, the dirt track was fixed up. In 1929, car races held on Labor Day and Columbus Day drew huge crowds. About 45,000 people came for the Labor Day race, and 52,000 spectators watched on Columbus Day!
