When Devon Wasn't The Only (Horse) Show in Town

The Devon Horse Show, while now pretty much the only game in town for Main Liners who like horses but not travel, used to have some pretty stiff competition right down the street.

"I had never heard of it before I did the research, but there used to be a Bryn Mawr Horse Show," said George Harding, a Haverford resident whose self-published book "Main Line by Rail: Its History and Transformation" was released this summer. "It lasted for 52 years and it was a main attraction for the rich Philadelphians the railroad was trying to convince to come down the Main Line."

Its first show was held on Sept. 19-20, 1895 on the grounds of the Bryn Mawr Hotel— one year before the Devon Horse Show held its inaugural event—and occurred on and off at various venues until its finale at Media's Rose Tree Fox Hunting Club in 1962. Harding said he couldn't find any records of a show after that date.

According to Harding, the Bryn Mawr Horse Show and the Devon Horse Show also merged for a period. On Sept 23, 1948, the Bryn Mawr Horse show teamed up with the Chester County Horse Show to hold an event at the Devon Horse Show grounds. This successful arrangement continued through 1953. (Their most notable joint-event was in 1952 when the show drew a record crowd of nearly 10,000 in the aftermath of a summer stable fire that caused $125,000 in damages.)

"Main Line by Rail: Its History and Transformation" is available at www.mainlinebyrail.com for $29.95.