Freestate Raceway

In September 1947, a meeting was held about bringing a harness racetrack to Maryland, specifically Prince George's County and Howard County.[1] Rosecroft Raceway was chosen for the Prince George's County license, and Freestate was chosen for the Howard County one.[2] Freestate was originally called Laurel Raceway from its opening to 1979. In 1948, Freestate Raceway began its first horse racing season. It was founded by Dick Hutchinson.[3] Freestate was the first track to allow pari-mutuel wagering on a harness race.[4] According to the United States Trotting Association, the racetrack broke several records in its inaugural season, including opening night attendance (12,000), total mutual handle ($3,703,949), and highest attendance (16,000).[5] The owners hosted the Howard County Fair on the grounds in 1948 and 1949 which allowed an exception in post-war rationing of roofing materials that were restricted for agricultural uses only. The fair featured "The Great Zacchinni" human cannonball act.[6] The owners of Freestate decided to increase the purse money, the number of seats, and several other things to greatly improve the racetrack for the 1949 season.[5]

Operations at the track ended in 1975, followed by a fire that destroyed the clubhouse and grandstand in March 1976.[7] Hutchingson's son, Dick Hutchingson, Jr., sold the racetrack to Greta and Joseph Shamy in April 1976.[8] Later, the Vice President of the track Mike Brown was indicted for arson at the clubhouse.[9] The racetrack was estimated to be in $6 million in debt in 1979, and in the same year, Joseph Shamy was arrested in 1979 for "raiding the track's treasury to pay personal debts."[8] Shamy was convicted of racketeering and embezzling $1.2 million from the track which defaulted on a $4.5 million loan from the National Bank of Washington and payments to riders.[10]

The following year Frank DeFrancis purchased the racetrack from National Bank of Washington.[11][12] The first thing DeFrancis did was change the name to Freestate Raceway.[8] Before Freestates first meet under DeFrancis, he did a lot of work to track, including fixing up the grandstand, creating a driver's lounge, and promoting under the slogan "Where Fun Comes in First".[11] After losing money for the first few years, DeFrancis persuaded the Maryland General Assembly to lower the tax on the track's handle.[13] Starting in 1982, Freestate Raceway began to host the Potomac Stakes, Maryland's most successful race. Each time this race happened, the attendance and handle rose dramatically; in 1984, a record $1,094,054 was wagered on the night of that race.[14] In his first six years of operations, Freestate's average attendance increased from 4,477 to 5,453.[15] In 1988, Roosevelt Raceway, which hosted the Messenger Stakes, closed operations, and the race way given to Freestate for the remainder of Freestate's history.[16] In 1989, DeFrancis died, and Freestate was sold to become an industrial park the following year.[17] The park is a 320,000-square-foot shopping center with a grocery store and an adjacent Carmax dealership.[18]