Museum Musing

By Betsy Welty

May is officially here. A bit chilly yet but that sunshine is great!
May 2nd is the 152nd Kentucky Derby. Did you know that Palmyra had horse races ?
1836 Palmyra Missouri Jockey Club Races was held on Sept15,1836 purse was $200.00 for a four-mile heat.
Here is a list of the horses for this race
Laplander, Paul Jones, David Crockett, Pompey and Ventura.
There was no time kept due to a miserable state of the track which in two places water was so deep that the proprietors were obliged to raise the track by throwing rails across the water holes and the horses had to run over them at the risk of breaking their
legs . Laplander won both heats with ease.
2nd day or heat the purse was $150.00. No time kept for a two-mile heat; the race held in a heavy shower track was knee deep in mud. Lady Pest , Funny Kemble Franklin and there was one other horse but gave no name .
On the third day or heat it was a mile and was best of three in 5 ,Pompey, David Crockett and Mr. Bazel’s horse which was not named.
Pompey placed 1st in each heat the purse was given to David Crockett. This information was found in the Marion County Mo GenWeb Project.
It gave a small story about how Mr. Price’s Pompey placed first, but the purse was given to Mr. Lane’s David Crocket.
Seems that in the last heat Pompey fell, when leading and when he recovered he hit Crockett and the judges decided that even though as much as Pompey recovered it was
determined it was a case of foul riding and therefore gave the purse to Crockett “This may be the rule but Pompey was a mighty____ case.”
This Web site also had the results of the Fall Club Races for 1841 ; it does not state the names of the jockeys or the spot where they held the races, but I would think it would have been at the original fairgrounds.
It would be interesting to find more information about local racings and the names of the jockeys of the past.
I Wonder if the ladies wore the fancy hats like they do today.
Something to think about.
Have a great week.
Garnder House Museum open on Fridays 10 to 2.
Old Marion County Jail and Research Center open Wednesday 10 to 2