Tag Archives: Horse

Animals, Doris B Morton

(Title Unknown) November 1880

Affection can be held for a favorite automobile but it cannot match that for, an animal which saw long service to man. George Brett’s sorrel Tom died at the age of 15. He was a Hambletonian colt raised by Columbus. His fastest record time was 2:29 but he had done better at private recordings.

Owned by H.R. Wait, he was purchased by Mr. Brett in 1869 and became a, family horse. He was so docile a child could manage him, but he would not take the dust of any horse. At every funeral he drew the conveyance of the clergyman. His grave was on the west side of Wood creek on George Brett’s farm (Austin’s) and was lovingly lined with straw.

Doris B. Morton, Town Historian – The Whitehall Times – October 30, 1980 – (Title Unknown)

Animals, Doris B Morton

A Sulky Racer 1850 – 1860

George lngalls was a well known horse trainer and driver in races, who had many adventures on the turf. He was a capable trainer and driver and very honest and straightforward.

George had been a driver on the Southern Circuit and was associated with Hiram Woodruff, Sam McLaughlin and Dan Mao of the 5O’s and 60’s. The first trotter he handled was Fanny Barney, a chestnut owned by his brother, John W. Ingalls. He trained her to 2:35, a very fast gait in those days. Then he trained Tib Woodward, also owned by John and trained her down to 2:30. She was sold in 1861. Then there was Sorrel Jim, sold to John Cutter of Albany in 1863.
George won a great race on the ice one winter with Jewels raised by Prentice Beckwith and owned by H.A. Griswold, both of Whitehall.  Jewels was entered in the race to make the necessary number. Surprisingly enough, she not being supposed to stand a chance, the mare won the first heat.
Although the other owners of fine horses from cities tried to make George draw out from the race, he stubbornly refused and won the race. The owners lost a great deal of money to this “greenhorn driver.”  The biggest race George won was with the horse Tom Moore, owned by George Wicker and Tom Bailey of Ticonderoga, another village with owners of horseflesh. The race was in Montreal.
Harry Bradley of Philadelphia was an unscrupulous driver. George let the other drivers wear out their horses in the first two heats while he kept Tom Moore in reserve. The third heat he won. In the fourth heat, Harry Bradley crowded George over and Tom Moore ran twice around the track with speed and power.
George was picked up for dead with a cut on his head. However, he revived and won the fourth and fifth heats, winning the race. He was taken from his sulky and carried on shoulders to his quarters. A gold purse was raised for him.
George raced for thirty winters on the ice in Whitehall or the Association’s track at Hudson Falls, in Rutland and other places. Many horsemen were interested in having a notice written about him and furnished material for it, would that it had been written.
Doris B. Morton, Town Historian – The Whitehall Independent – July 25, 1984
Animals, Doris B Morton

[Horses] February 1874

Horses were a topic. There were two runaways of horses with cutters but no damage was done. At the Elbow on the ice, John Brett’s “Billy Button” won three heats of four from H. C. Hall’s “Sure Thing.” The proprietor of H. C. Hall’s hotel added to his livery stables four fine horses, two barouche sleighs, and a first class single turn outs.

Doris B. Morton, Town Historian – The Whitehall Times – March 7, 1974 – Title Unknown

Animals, Doris B Morton

Gleaning from Whitehall Chronicle in 1874

In the mid and later 1800s there were horse and stock farms around the village of Whitehall. There were many valuable horses owned and a stock breeding business. Some horses were owned by the farmers; others were pastured for out of town owners. A visit was made to George H. Buel’s farm (Austin) and the W.B. Woodward farm across the road. Mr. Buel owned George Barney, a bright blond with a black mane and tail of Morgan ancestry. His descendants were of the same color and grace of motion. Mr. Buel also owned Barney Henry, a black stallion of ancestry from Ethan Allen Jr. and Black Hawk. George Ingall’s pet, an old grey gelding was stabled at the Buel farm. Across the road was W.B. Woodward’s farm, known as the Bascom farm. This was a horse breeding farm. He stalled Ethan Allan Jr., Jack Frost, Francis E. Fish’s two year old filly and Mish Collins’ black colt. Mr. Woodward wintered horses from as far away as Troy, Saratoga, Brattleboro, and Albany. A common saying at this time was “All we need is a track to initiate the movement (racing).

In 1874 on Poultney Street there was a pair of grey mares owned by Mike Nichols, three year olds. These were of Banner stock, one of which showed great promise. Frank Douglas on the Gibson farm had a handsome bay team, four year olds.One was a Hamiltonian colt. There was also a two year old Ethan Allen Jr. which
showed promise.Sheep: Sheep were at one time very important in Washington County and were on Whitehall farms. Perhaps this shows why they disappeared. In 1874 Jerry Brown and Robert Mytoll had flocks of sheep. One night dogs killed eighteen. They must have been large dogs and savage, for the sheep were torn and some had the hides almost torn off. The dogs had bitten at the head and torn the hide off. At the same time George S. Griswold at South Bay had three killed, one with an especially long fine wool. Jerry Brown had 200 acres of land valuable for sheep raising and Robert Mytoll 75-100 acres. They said they were getting rid of all their sheep and would not raise any more.

Doris B. Morton, Town Historian – The Whitehall Times – July 7, 1988

Animals, Doris B Morton

Some Horses in Whitehall In 1874

Interest in horses has increased lately in Whitehall as well, as in other parts of the country. An interesting TV program that has attracted many is called The American Horse and Horseman and appeals to the owners of Whitehall’s quarter horse, standard breed Morgan and App but in Whitehall 100 years ago the Morgan breed held the
leadership. These horses seemed to be owned by Whitehall’s business men. On the Bascom farm one mile south of the village was kept a famous horse Ethan Allen Jr., owned by S.B. Woodard. This horse and his line furnished many of the horses in this area.

His genealogy started with Justin Morgan, that tough versatile animal brought to Randolph., Vt., in 1795 from Springfield, Mass. an “unbroken two year old runt.’’ From
him in line was Sherman bred in Lyndon. Vt., and noted for his endurance and docility; Black Hawk. Sherman’s greatest son born in Essex county; Ethan Allen born in 1849 in Ticonderoga to become the fastest trotter in the world and from whom every Morgan living today can be traced (his mother was owned by F. A. Leland, an itinerant peddler through Hague, Schroon Lake and Whitehall); and Ethan Allen Jr. whom W. H. Cook of Ticonderoga raised.

Mr. Bascom in 1874 was raising at least seven colts. All sired by Ethan Allen. Jr. Across the road was George H. Buel brother of Julio Buel of fishing tackle fame and
noted in his own right as a good farmer. He was one of the sheep raisers of the town. He was keeping horses owned by W. F. Bascom, an Insurance man in the village and some of his own.

H. C. Hall in the Manville Scribner & Co. lumber business owned a driving horse of the Lambert line. He is noted in the directory as a “Horseman”.
E. W. Hall owned a sorrel horse, a trotter “Mystery”, a matched pair of family horses, and a tandem team of the Ethan Allen stock. He was a slate manufacturer, a drug
store owner and owner of the Hall Mansion on West Mountain. George A. Hall a hardware merchant owned a matched sorrel team with white faces
and white legs of the Black Hawk stock.

The Honorable F. E. Davis, a dealer in all kinds of lumber, had a span of matched horses, very fast travelers.A. Martin, a village trustee and dealer in lumber in the steam mill on the east side of the lake, owned a span of English draft horses.

N. Collins, a milkman and farmer, had a well matched roan team.

Joseph Arquette, who owned a meat market, drove a fast trotter while John Brett, a feed store proprietor, had two trotters of the Black Hawk line. Supervisor George Brett and B. H. Baldwin drove trotters.

William Pardo, a barber, had a gelding of the Columbus stock. The farmers Francis Fish, Warren McFarren, Frank Douglass, George and Frank Bartholomew owned fine
colts of the Ethan Allen stock.

Hannibal Allen, town clerk and owner of a hardware store, went to the Hambleton man blood which was an out breeding of the Morgan Line not now allowed. David
Bartholomew of the Yule Hotel owned one of this line. George Griswold in the tin ware business and H. G. Burleigh of the transportation line had trotters of the Lambert stock.

Dr. Holcomb’s horse was not listed as to line but he always had a good horse to be able to attend to the sick at a distance Whitehall does not have any monuments to horses as does Crown Point. A 12 foot statue in the village square as erected to honor Pink, Col. John Hammond’s horse which was in 88 skirmishes and 34 battles of the Civil War. He descended from the Black Hawk line. Another statue is at Penfield Museum for Billy, wounded at Gettysburg and owned by Col. James A. Penfield. He was a grandson of Black Hawk.

An interesting item for horse lovers, or not, is that Ethan Allen was taken by his later owner to Rhode Island and from there to a western ranch where he made a contribution to the quarter horse breed. The American saddle horse is also indebted to the Morgan as is the Walking Horse.

Early newspaper items tell of the trotting races on the ice, road racing and ownership of fine horse flesh in Whitehall. Mr. Wilkins said ‘Our town is famous for its
handsome ladies, its fine looking, genial, gallant men and for its gallant stock particularly that noble animal, the horse.”

Doris B. Morton, Town Historian – The Whitehall Times – December 26, 1974