Charter Oak Park Collection

Collection

Identifier: MS-COP

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection contains materials relating to Charter Oak Park and its fairgrounds. These include 131 admission badges, race programs and score cards, an illustration of a race, and material regarding the Connecticut Fair. Also included are two programs from a different track on Albany Avenue and a Hartford Times piece reflecting on the history of Charter Oak Park.

Dates

1874 - 1967
Majority of material found within 1874 - 1912

Conditions Governing Access

The records are stored in a restricted area and therefore may not be available on a same-day basis. Please contact the Hartford History Center in advance of your visit to have the material available in the research room.

Conditions Governing Use

See Hartford History Center's Collection Use policy. Permission to publish from the collection must be obtained in writing from curator of the Hartford History Center, and a copy of the published work may be requested by the Hartford History Center. The Hartford History Center reserves the right to refuse permission to publish, etc. to those who have not complied with its policies. Use of the collections will normally not be permitted for the purpose of promotion of commercial products and services or political campaigns. Hartford History Center at Hartford Public Library reserves the right to limit the number of photographic prints/captures and to restrict the use or reproduction of rare, fragile, or valuable objects.

Biographical / Historical

Charter Oak Park was a harness racing track located on 143 acres on the Hartford/West Hartford boundary. It opened in 1874 and hosted harness races, in which horses race at a trot while pulling a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, occupied by a rider. The park also hosted bicycle races and agricultural shows, including the Connecticut State Fair. In 1906, a portion of the land was sold for the construction of Luna Park, an amusement park in West Hartford. Charter Oak Park closed in 1931 following years of financial decline since the introduction of anti-betting laws in the 1920s. The track buildings at the property near Flatbush Avenue and New Park Avenue were torn down to construct a factory for Pratt & Whitney.