Harlem Race Track

The Harlem Race Track, managed by the Harlem Jockey Club, was a horse racing track located in the Village of Harlem, Illinois (currently Forest Park, Illinois) between Collier Avenue (currently 16th Street) and 12th St. (currently Roosevelt Road), and between W. 74th (currently Hannah Avenue) and W 76th (currently Lathrop Avenue). The track was built by a syndicate led by George Hankins in 1894, and it was scheduled to open for the 1895 horse racing season. Because there was a public outcry against all gambling, the track did not open as scheduled, and it lay dormant at great expense to the investors. On July 3, 1897, the track was sold by the Chicago Fair Grounds Association, by President William Martin, to attorney William H. Allen for $150,000. Allen leased the 80 acre property to James Anglin who appointed John Condon general manager, and Martin Nathanson as secretary. The lease eventually went to Condon, but he decided to discontinue his association with the track when his lease expired on February 1, 1899. Despite Condon's retirement, it was speculated that he remained in control of Harlem, and the course secretary, Martin Nathanson, announced that the 1899 racing program would begin on May 30. A fire at the track on May 22, 1899, believed to be caused by "incendiaries," destroyed the grandstand and fencing. A temporary grandstand was quickly built so that racing s

Racecourse data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).