The first known automobile race in the United States was sponsored by the Chicago Times-Herald on Thanksgiving Day in 1895. The event was run on public roads from Jackson Park in Chicago to Evanston, Illinois, and back– about 54 miles. There were only six entries despite the promise of a $2,000 first prize, which was probably not all that surprising since there weren’t many manufacturers of motorized vehicles that early in the game. The newspaper dubbed the cars “motorcycles” instead of the more common term “horseless carriage” to promote the new mode of transportation and encourage its use.
Unfortunately, it was snowing on the day of the event, and the temperature was only about 30 degrees. Four of the six entries were electrically powered, dooming any hope of completing such a grueling race in sub-freezing temperatures. They soon dropped out, leaving only two gasoline-powered machines to continue in the event.
Drifting snow made portions of the course almost impossible to navigate. The elapsed time of the race was reported to be ten hours and twenty-three minutes.
The winner of the event was J. Frank Duryea, who partnered with his brother Charles in the beginning stages of their long career in manufacturing automobiles. Duryea’s first commercially produced automobile was introduced in 1896, making it the first manufacturer of automobiles in the United States.
The first official closed circuit automobile race in Connecticut appears to have occurred at Branford Park, a horse racing facility in New Haven, on July 25, 1900. The Chicago Tribune touted it as “the first tournament of road machines in America.” The event supposedly hosted one hundred and fifty drivers from the United States and Europe for eight races that day. The fifth race winner was Hiram Percy Maxim, driving a gasoline-powered Columbia built in Hartford. His image and that of his race-winning automobile became the logo on Connecticut’s Early American license plates, which were first issued after WWII.
Racing automobiles on the same track as horses was a cause for concern amongst those who favored the Sport of Kings. The noise disturbed the horses stabled at those tracks, and the damage to the dirt surface wasn’t always easy to repair. As a result, most early auto races were relegated to the streets, and the events that drew the largest crowds were often hill climbs on courses that were short and full of curves over steep terrain. Rather than side-by-side racing, those events were run against the clock.
And what better place to hold an exciting hill climb than the original Sport Hill Road in Easton?
Sport Hill saw its first race on Decoration Day in 1902. Hosted by the Automobile Club of Bridgeport, there were only eight entries, all wealthy amateur drivers piloting their own machines. But by 1907, this event would grow to become one of the most widely attended races in the nation, complete with factory-sponsored race teams and some of the most talented professional drivers in the country.
On Wednesday, November 13th, at 7 PM, see over 30 photographs from the annual Decoration Day event that took place between 1902 and 1910 and learn why one of the nation’s most prestigious early automobile racing events suddenly disappeared from the circuit.
Please join me and fellow historian Elizabeth Boyce as we discuss the history of the Sport Hill Races as part of the Easton Congregational Church’s Old Academy Lecture Series. Hosted in conjunction with the Historical Society of Easton, this event will take place at the old academy church hall at the corner of Westport and Center Roads. Admission is free, but we ask you to please reserve your seat, as space is limited. You can reserve your seats at https://www.eventbrite.com/…/uphill-battles-the-history…
