African Americans had attended and participated in the
Tri-State Fair well into the 1870's. Following the
collapse of Reconstruction and the 1896 "separate but equal"
legalized segregation, Memphis blacks and whites
occupied two separate societies. In 1911, prominent
African-Americans founded, organized, and ran their own fair
called the "Negro Tri-State Fair". It was held at the
Fairgrounds a few days after the white fair closed. This
was an important event in the black community for decades.
When the white fair changed its name to the Mid-South Fair in
1928, the black fair became simply the Tri-State Fair until it
was discontinued in 1959. The Mid-South Fair was
integrated in 1962.
Source: historic-memphis.com
Sunday, August 20, 2017
Montgomery Park Race Track
Montgomery Park Race Track was an American thoroughbred racetrack in Memphis, Tennessee.
The track ran its last race meet in 1906 due to the outlawing of gambling by the Tennessee legislature. Following the closure, the track land and facilities were first leased and then purchased by the city of Memphis and incorporated into the Mid-South Fairgrounds.
Click Here to check out this site that shares pictures and a story about the Park.
Source: wikipedia.com
History:
The track was originally constructed in 1851 on plantation land southeast of Memphis. In 1882, Colonel Henry A. Montgomery organized the New Memphis Jockey Club, which purchased the race track and the surrounding land. The facility was named Montgomery Park at this time.The track ran its last race meet in 1906 due to the outlawing of gambling by the Tennessee legislature. Following the closure, the track land and facilities were first leased and then purchased by the city of Memphis and incorporated into the Mid-South Fairgrounds.
Physical Attributes:
The track consisted of a one mile dirt oval 65 feet wide at all points.Click Here to check out this site that shares pictures and a story about the Park.
Source: wikipedia.com