Introduction
The Lowell Driving Club met in November 1914 to discuss the purchase of land for a half-mile racing track. Three parcels were under consideration:
- A 20-acre parcel in Dracut owned by Russell Fox,
- A 30-acre parcel owned by the Coburn family on Chelmsford Street
- The 55-acre old Richardson farm at the far end of Westford Street.
The 5-member committee, appointed to make the decision, chose the Coburn land on Chelmsford Street. This had existing access from Lowell and Chelmsford Center by trolley car. (1)
The half-mile track opened on Columbus Day 1915. There was a racing program with 10 events and a field of at least 36 horses. (2)
The press reported a racing meet on the July 4, 1917. A matinee race took place at Golden Cove Park on Labor Day, September 2, 1918. WWI ended on November 11.
Middle Years
On July 4, 1922, five horse drivers in one race were all to be women. When word of this spread, a crowd of 2,000 people showed up. On July 4, 1923, amateur photographer George Axon recorded some of the races on 16 mm black and white film. Watch the movie Here on YouTube. The prime racing years were 1915 through 1927. (3) There were no documents referencing to races after 1927 found in the Chelmsford Historical Society archives.
This 1950 Geodetic survey shows the location of the half-mile oval racetrack at center. Note that the River Meadow Brook floodplain surrounded much of the track.
Major Event
The Fourth of July parade held downtown in Tercentennial year 1955 was followed by a Firemen’s Muster at Golden Cove Park. Twelve out-of-town teams with their antique hand tub pumpers competed in longest stream and water polo events. Marblehead won the longest stream with 197 feet, and Dracut won the water polo with Ayer coming in second. See the firemen’s muster in color here on YouTube. (4)
Destruction
The southern two-thirds of Golden Cove Park fell victim to construction equipment bulldozing its way through Chelmsford in 1961. It is now part of the Route 495 right-of-way.
Raymond Carye owned the triangular shaped property between Route 495 and the railroad tracks in 1967. This included the northern third of Golden Cove Park. In February he had the land surveyed for an 8-lot industrial subdivision accessed by Katrina Road. (5) In 1992 the state classified Nyes Japenamelac at 25 and Silicon Transistor Corporation at 27 Katrina Road as hazardous waste sites requiring cleanup action.
You can see the original location of Golden Cove Park on this 2025 Google Earth image. It shows the location relative to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, Katrina Road industrial park, and Route 495.
References
(1) Lowell Courier-Citizen, November 4, 1914, page 9, “Driving Club Holds a Meeting”
(2) Lowell Courier-Citizen, October 11, 1915, page 10 “New Driving Park Opens Tomorrow”
(3) Chelmsford Independent, July 16, 1987, page 4, George Parkhurst “The Way it Was”
(4) Chelmsford Newsweekly, 1955 Tercentennial Edition, Government, page 12, “Firemen’s Muster”
(5) Middlesex North Registry of Deeds, March 10, 1967, Plan Book 105 Page 14.
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