Houston Driving Park (1902)

Houston Driving Park

Location	Houston, Texas
Operated by	Houston Driving Park Association
Date opened	1902
Date closed	1910?
Course type	Varied

Houston Driving Park also known as Harrisburg Park was a horse racing track located in Houston's Magnolia Park neighborhood along Harrisburg Boulevard. It was opened in 1902.

Planning and construction

In March 1902, members of the Houston Driving Park Association and the Houston Country Club surveyed an area in Magnolia Park for the grounds of a new race track.^[1] With a capacity of 600,^[2] grandstands were erected and the park had opened by November 1902.^[3]

Houston Lambs tenancy

In June 1904, the Houston Driving Park Association began work to temporarily transform the race park into a ballpark for temporary use by the Houston Lambs (later known as the Houston Buffaloes) of the South Texas League.^[4] After being evicted from Herald Park, the ball club eventually played several games at the Houston Driving Park beginning with a game against the Galveston Sandcrabs on July 29, 1904.^[5] The club received a new ballpark when West End Park opened the following season.

References

1. "A Race Course.". ‘’Galveston Daily News’’. March 16, 2014. p. 7.
2. "The Matinee Races". ‘’Houston Post’’. November 27, 1902. p. 5.
3. "Harness Races Today". ‘’Houston Post’’. November 21, 1902. p. 3.
4. "New Ball Park". ‘’Galveston Daily News’’. June 19, 1904. p. 4.
5. "At New Park". Houston Post. July 30, 1904. p. 5.