Radnor Hunt is the oldest continuous fox-hunting club in the United States recognized by the Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America.
Radnor Hunt was founded in 1883 in Pennsylvania. [1] [2] A property was purchased on the corner of Darby-Paoli and Roberts Roads in Newtown Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and it became the club headquarters. [1]
From its early days, it attracted members of prominent families from Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Main Line, also known as "Old Philadelphians". [1] [3] [4] For example, Alexander Cassatt (1839–1906), the seventh president of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR), was a founding member. [1] The first President was James Rawle of the J. G. Brill Company, and the first Master of Foxhounds was Horace B. Montgomery. [1] Later, Samuel D. Riddle (1861–1951) joined the club. [5]
In 1931, architect Arthur Ingersoll Meigs (1882-1956), who was a member of the hunt, restored the Gallagher Farm on Boot Road (now Providence Road) in White Horse, Pennsylvania as well as new stables and kennels. [1] It became the new club headquarters. [1]
The club is recognized by the Masters of Foxhounds Association of America. [1] Memberships are cited in the Social Register. [6]
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds", follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.
A foxhound is a type of large hunting hound bred for strong hunting instincts, a keen sense of smell, and their bark, energy, drive, and speed. In fox hunting, the foxhound's namesake, packs of foxhounds track quarry, followed—usually on horseback—by the hunters, sometimes for several miles at a stretch; moreover, foxhounds also sometimes guard sheep and houses.
The American Foxhound is a breed of dog created by American Founding Father George Washington that is a cousin of the English Foxhound. They are scent hounds, bred to hunt foxes by scent.
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