Why they call it Racetrack Road

LAKEVILLE — At the end of the 19th century, Brenton “B.R.” Wells lived in the only house on what was then called Rose Hill and is now called Wells Hill. 

B.R., a wealthy resident of Oak Park, Ill. who summered in Lakeville, enjoyed breeding and racing pacers and trotters. He built a half-mile track for them. In 1896, he also constructed a 45-by-100-foot barn in which he kept more than 30 horses. 

Three times over the years, fire struck. In 1907, five of his 17 horses perished in a fire. He rebuilt, and in 1915 another fire destroyed the barn and 29 horses. Only three horses escaped the blaze: his wife’s saddle horse, the pacer “Bishop” and an old mixed breed. That fire spelled the end of racing for Wells and the track returned to nature. 

In the 1950s, Dr. Robert Noble sought permission from the owner of the property to restore the track. For the next 20 years, he and fellow racing enthusiasts used the track for training and for occasional Sunday afternoon racing cards against each other and invited guests such as the Empire Driving Park Club of Copake and the Springbrook Riding and Driving Club of Rhinebeck. 

Among the locals who were members were Dr. Noble, Bill Ford, Paul Cleveland, Larry Perkins and George Miner. Farrier needs were attended to by blacksmith Eddie Clark, who lived on Farnam Road.

Bill Chilcoat used the track early every morning to drive his wife’s Morgan horse for 5 to 20 miles and to enjoy the peace and quiet of the morning hours.

The Wells Hill Driving Park wasn’t the only racetrack in Salisbury in those days. In Lime Rock there was a quarter-mile track on the south side of Route 112 that surrounded the company baseball field. There the Barnums and Richardsons could train their high-stepping trotters for big races at the Falls Village track across the river, at the Wells Hill track and at the big races at Saratoga Springs.

At the turn of the 20th century, bicycle racing was one of the biggest sports in America, rivaled only by baseball. In Lime Rock, the Golden Rod Cycle Track was built in the 1880s on the Ensign property, between their house and the rear of Trinity Church. 

After 10 or 15 years of summertime daily use and nightly races, it lapsed back into a hayfield, leaving no trace other than a faint outline that can still be seen from the air.

Katherine Chilcoat is the former historian for the town of Salisbury.