In the early to mid-19th century, horseracing was the national pastime of the United States. Stephen F. Austin’s colonists brought this love of horse racing with them, and in April of 1832, San Felipe held what may be the first advertised horse race in Texas. After the Texas Revolution , the sport expanded dramatically with well over a dozen horse racing tracks in the Republic of Texas, including at Washington-on-the-Brazos. For this reason, the staff at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site created a horse racing program for the first time last April to showcase the favorite pastime of Texas. Lead Educator, Tynan Shadle will take you through the history of horse racing in early Texas and will discuss how this program was created and put on at Washington-on-the-Brazos.

History at Night is free of charge with light refreshments to be provided. The program begins at 6pm on Thursday, March 27th!

Image credit to Unaffected Photography.