Youngstown Race Tracks

[Towntalk]

Allan, I call your attention to this link

http://www.mahoninghistory.org/wdyk20-sports.htm

In a search through my library I couldn't find a reference to the Poland Avenue Youngstown Driving Park, but the Historical Society confirms that this race track existed and shows it in the above link.

This track as you can see from the map was along the Mahoning River, but unfortunately the Sanborn maps for that time period are incomplte and the pages that would show the track are missing.

[AllanY2525]

Here's a reference to the race track that was located next to
what is now Belmont Avenue, on the land owned by the Bissell
family...

[Towntalk]

You're correct about a Southern Park race track that was located near where the Newport Theater later located, but the Youngstown Driving Park was located on Poland Avenue in an area known as Gibsonville. According to a program for the races on August 3, 1898, the president of the company that owned the Youngstown Driving Park, George Tod was President and W. N. Ashbaugh was Secretary. The track opened in 1866 according to the Mahoning Valley Historical Society.

[AllanY2525]

The north side track was right next to Belmont Avenue (which used to be named "Liberty Road"),
close to where the road curves to the left.  Perhaps this is the reason Liberty Road was renamed
to Belmont Avenue - I recall that the word Belmont has something to do with Horse Racing...

I think I saw an old map somewhere, which showed that this land used to belong to Cynthia Bissell.

She (and/or her family) owned a large tract of land north of Broadway, running up to Gypsy lane, from Belmont
Avenue down to about Elm Street.

The south side track was was called Southern Park, and this area of town still bears the name today - hence,
"Southern Park Mall"

[Towntalk]

Back in the late 1880's and 1890's Youngstown boasted two temples of the sport of kings. On the North Side there was a mile long track at the Youngstown Fair Grounds and on Poland Avenue the Youngstown Driving Park Association boasted a half mile track and a grandstand that held 1500 people.