On the Track – Thomas Peter, Henry Clay, and the Duchess of Marlborough
· Georgetown and the Federal City ·
Horse racing was popular among the landed gentry and elite of the city well before the nation’s capital became a reality. With a notice published on April 10, 1769, offering a purse of 25 pounds for the winner of a race in Georgetown, a social tradition was established that would last a century. Archivist Wendy Kail “visits” these historic arenas using correspondence in the Archive and other contemporary accounts of the sport’s highlights and leading participants, including the Peters of Tudor Place.
