2017 Winning Essay by R. Brody Shockley

Option Three: Choose a historical place in Worcester County and discuss its meaning to the community or why it should be preserved

As a lover of history, I follow a rule of thumb: salvage to some, historic to other, if something is saved then find out the history of the ruin.

When my family moved to Glen Riddle subdivision I went exploring and found pieces of old fences, a graveyard and a racehorse starting gate, I followed my rule and explored.

The place I call home originated around 1915 by a gentleman from Pennsylvania named Sam Riddle. He was owner of a famous horse who lived on the Riddle Farm; Man O’ War. Mr. Riddle bought the horse from the famous Belmont family of Kentucky. Man O’ War was a horseracing legend. He won all but one of his races and set records attracting the world’s attention. He was bred and left a great lineage. Every street in the development is named from one of his descendants, including War Admiral who was a triple-crown winner in 1938! During that time in American history horseracing was one of the largest sports in our culture. It’s unique that a special role in that sport came from here in Worcester County, Maryland.

There is an old graveyard here; it sits near the old water tower, close to the ruins of the starting gate for the old horse track. Nowadays we run on the paved roads that cover that track. If you walk the water’s edge you can see the ruins of the swimming corral where the horses were led into Turville Creek to bathe.

My grandfather was raised across the road from Riddle Farm. He is old enough to remember when he was young enough to watch the horses brought to Riddle Farm by way of the railroad. He’s told me stories of the unloading of the horses and how they were paraded over the farm. It’s a nice irony that I live here now and will have that story to pass to another generation one day.

The ruins of Glen Riddle are part of a unique history of Worcester County. If you visit the community clubhouse or visit the golf course you can study and learn of the horses, the families that used to come here to purchase their thoroughbreds, the sad story of the fire that destroyed the original houses of the workers. A local artist named Pat Henry has created many images that preserve the culture of Worcester County natives. His paintings of historic Riddle Farm serve as the backdrop to the restaurant in the community. It’s worth stopping in for the history lesson, the view and to look around and see some of the restored artifacts of the original barn, including the doors and windows.

Worcester County has required Glen Riddle’s developers to preserve and protect the watershed here along the ruins of the stables, the fence posts, and even the trees. I am happy to be a resident here and live in a place of significance to my community.