Rockingham Park, an institution in Salem, New Hampshire for 110 years, closed its gates forever last week.
The park hadn’t only featured horse racing. It had also seen state fairs, auto racing and some charitable gaming. However, when the economy hit a rough spot several years ago the park began its decline and never recovered. Others attributed the decline to the rise of more casinos in the Northeast.
Ed Callahan, president and general manager of Rockingham Park for more than three decades mused about its place in the community to WMUR last week.
“Everybody who comes in, they have a story,” he said. “They came under the fence to watch the races back in the ‘50s, or whether their father worked here, or whether they worked here washing dishes at some point – everybody has good memories.”
In its glory days during the Great Depression the park, nicknamed “The Rock,” saw the great horses of the day, such as Seabiscuit.
New Hampshire Rep. Eric Estevez, whose grandparents were jockeys, and whose parents were jockeys, said, “I just want to cry. It’s the end of an era for the community.”
The plans are to tear down the old buildings and replace them with eateries, offices and retail shops. The objects that make up the memories of the old racetrack will be put up for auction.
