Dover-Foxcroft Historical society
Preserving the rich heritage of Dover and Foxcroft, Maine

Dedication of the Emma B. Memorial

11 October 2008

The Dedication Party
From left to right:  Mary Annis, Dave Lockwood, Steve Rainsford holding the original poster of Emma B.'s sire Bayard, Lou Stevens, Town Manager Jack Clukey, and Jim Annis.

Dave Lockwood, curator of the Blacksmith Shop Museum, and Jim Annis, DFHS Treasurer, unveil the memorial stone.

 

The Memorial Stone
Emma B. 22 (aka) Police Gazette
Grey Trotting Mare Subject of Three
Currier & Ives Prints Foaled 1872 at Foxcroft
Farm of P.M. & C.C. Jefferds, Her Breeders
Sired by Bayard, Dam by Brown Harry
Dedicated 2006
Friends of the Standardbred Horse

Two reproduction posters of Currier & Ives prints of Emma B. hang inside the Blacksmith Shop Museum.

 

Society Remembers Historic Foxcroft
Racing Mare

On a perfect October afternoon, a group gathered at the Blacksmith Shop Museum to witness the dedication of a memorial stone to Emma B., a noted trotting mare bred in Foxcroft.  The grey mare was famous and her exploits on the track earned her the distinction of being the subject of 3 Currier & Ives prints.  A print of Bayard, Emma B.,'s sire, was also on display courtesy of Steve Rainsford.

Society President Mary Annis welcomed visitors and introduced Lou Stevens, the featured speaker.  Lou gave the history of Emma B.'s breeders, Phineas C. and Clara Jefferds.  Their farm in Gray Valley no longer exists.  It was near the site of the Blacksmith Shop Museum and it is conceivable that Emma B., might even have been shod there. 

Emma B.'s success on the trotting tracks led to her sale to the owners of the sensationalist periodical The Police Gazette, a magazine featuring murder, sex and mayhem.  The Gazette's owners changed her name to Police Gazette and she continued to racing for many years.

The memorial stone, donated by Clark Thompson, was unveiled and dedicated by Dave Lockwood and Jim Annis.  It will remain at the Blacksmith Shop Museum in memory of a fine racing mare whose origins were in early Foxcroft.