CHAPTER VIII 

 GETTING THEIR MONEY BACK 



PRIOR to 1840 race tracks were established and main- 

 tained practically all of them under the jurisdiction 

 of regularly organized Jockey Clubs at Madisonville, 

 Beans Station and Red Bridge near Knoxville, in East 

 Tennessee; McMinnville, Winchester, Murfreesboro, 

 Hartsville, Gallatin, Clarksville, Franklin, Pulaski, Mt. 

 Pleasant, Shelbyville, Fayetteville, Petersburg and Nash- 

 ville in Middle Tennessee; Paris, Dresden, Jackson, 

 Bolivar, Somerville, La Grange and Memphis in West 

 Tennessee. This list is not given as complete. The 

 Dresden "Social Course," fenced in on all sides, was 

 situated a mile and a half from town and was owned by 

 Willis Nailing. The first meeting was held in September, 

 1838. 



In September, 1839, a dub was organized at Columbia 

 with Gen. Allen Brown, President, Dr. A. H. Buchanan, 

 Rufus K. Polk and Evan Young, Vice-Presidents and 

 Felix K. ZoIIicoffer (later a Confederate General) Secre- 

 tary. The course was named the "Ashland Course" and 

 was placed under the supervision of William R. Hill. 



Besides tracks located in the various county seats and 

 other towns, where stated meetings were held at regular 

 intervals, there were tracks of a more local nature on 

 which horses were trained and races run at the pleasure 

 of the owners or the neighborhood. 



