Dorchester Illustration of the Day no. 2044
Franklin Field was once home to a speedway for horse-racing.
Excerpt from the Franklin Field North description in an Area Form prepared for the Boston Landmarks Commission in 1995:
Franklin Field is described in Dorchester Old and New as “probably Americas oldest playground, for it contains 77 acres available for baseball and other sports.” By 1911, one of these “other sports” was weekly horse racing conducted by the Dorchester Gentlemens Driving Club. Chartered in 1890 but not officially organized until 1899, the club was composed of Dorchester men “who enjoyed racing their horses in a competitive manner for awards and recognition”. Originally, the weekly races were held on Blue Hill Avenue between Talbot and Callender Streets but as Blue Hill Avenue became more of a major traffic artery, the club petitioned the city of Boston to allow them to grade a portion of Franklin Field for a speedway and grandstand. In 1912, Mayor John “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald won the silver cup at the one-seated carriage races on Dorchester Day. The Dorchester Gentlemens Driving Club continued to race at Franklin Field until the rise of the automobile by 1920. Undoubtedly the proximity of these parks and the activities of the Dorchester Gentlemens Club figured in the building boom which took place along the streets north of Franklin Field around 1900.
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