Gonna party like it’s your (250th) birthday
Charles V. Wait, catnip for ‘Hamilton’ buffs, and George Washington name-drops converge at the Racing museum for a fabulous new exhibit.
Leave it to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame to race into America’s 250th Birthday (just six months away!) with a banger of an opening party — one that brings together Adirondack Trust’s Charles V. Wait, glory days-loving horse racing fans, and Hamilton buffs.
“Racing at the Dawn of the United States” opened Saturday in the Museum’s Link Gallery, so we asked the museum’s curator, Jessica Cloer, for some highlights. Let’s start with the Turning Point, as in the Turning Point — the first time the British ever surrendered to Americans, which proved crucial in convincing, well, us (and the French) that we could actually win.
“Thanks to a generous loan from Charles V. Wait, the exhibition includes a note written by John Ashley at Fort Hardy (located in present-day Schuylerville) and a letter written by Major General Philip Schuyler dated November 19, 1776 while he was in command of the Northern Department,” Cloer says.
“Also included is a small print of The Surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga, New York, October 17th, 1777, by Nathaniel Currier.”
And the connection between America’s big birthday and horse racing?
“Horse racing was the preeminent sport at the time of our nation’s founding 250 years ago,” Cloer says. “Racing occurred both on established courses and informally throughout the colonies. In Maryland alone, there were more than 20 racing centers. Prominent figures of the time, such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, were known to attend race meets.”
For more information about the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, including upcoming events, please visit racingmuseum.org or call (518) 584-0400. For Wednesday’s special behind-the-scenes curator’s tour, reserve your ticket here.
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