Pass

Object Name:

Pass

Object ID:

2016.050

Creator:

Fetting, A. H. Company

Place of Origin:

Baltimore, MD

Date:

circa 1933

Description:

Admission pass to Rockingham Park, Salem, NH. Sterling silver with gold wash. Issued to Ralph Davis, Chairman of the New Hampshire Racing Commission, c. 1933. Horizontal rectangle with rounded corners. Raised decorative border. Engraved "NEW HAMPSHIRE BREEDERS' ASS'N. / ROCKINGHAM PARK / PASS / Ralph Davis / CHAIRMAN NEW HAMPSHIRE RACING COMMISSION / Louis Smith [script] / TREASURER". Relief image of horse's head at top center. Stamped on reverse, "FETTING / STERLING". In tri-fold black leather case with purple velvet lining.
A. Pass
B. Case

Material:

Metal
Silver

Dimensions:

H-2.5 W-3.5 D-0.075 inches

Provenance:

Rockingham Park first opened for thoroughbred racing in the tiny outpost of Salem Depot, NH, in 1906. It cost over $1 million to construct and was proclaimed the finest racecourse in the world. The track sat idle after only three days because betting was illegal in New Hampshire. The Rockingham Fair was held there from 1912 to 1915. The grounds were used periodically for horse and motorcycle racing until 1933, when gambling was legalized in the State of New Hampshire, due in no small part to an extensive campaign waged in the state legislature by Lou Smith and Sam Simon. The vote to restore racing at the Salem oval passed in a special town meeting by a vote of 617-2. On June 21, 1933, Rockingham Park opened for New England's first meet with legalized gambling. Over 15,000 people, who came by train and automobile, attended the races.

Acquired along with the pass was a photograph of Ralph Davis and other members of the New Hampshire Racing Commission presenting a racing license to Lou Smith in 1933.

Credit Line:

New Hampshire Historical Society Purchase

People:

Smith, Lou ( -1969), Davis, Ralph W. (1890-1951)

Subjects:

Horses, Horse racing, Horse racetracks