A tragic event in Amsterdam’s history was the January 9, 1939 fire that killed 25 thoroughbred horses and did $200,000 damage at the Sanford Stud Farm outside the city limits on Route 30. A police dog also died in the blaze.
Carpet mill executive Stephen Sanford started the farm, at first called Hurricana, in the 1870s. His doctor advised Sanford that a farm might ease his stomach ulcer if it took him away from the stress at his mills. Sanford’s horses raced at Saratoga. Sanford’s sons—John and William—encouraged their father in this enterprise because of their own interest in fast horses, especially jumpers. William died in 1896.
In 1901, Stephen Sanford built his own stable on Nelson Avenue in Saratoga. He had as many as 35 horses at a time.
From 1903 through 1907, the Sanfords invited the people of Amsterdam to the Matinee Races at Hurricana on the Sunday closest to Fourth of July.
New York State outlawed betting in 1907 and racing stopped at Saratoga. Temporarily, the Sanfords sold most of their horses, according to Alex Robb in his book, “The Sanfords of Amsterdam.”
Stephen Sanford was blind the last five years of his life. He died on February 13, 1913 at age 86. Six months later, racing resumed at Saratoga along with the first running of the Sanford Memorial.
After 1913, John Sanford headed both the family carpet mills and horse farm. The farm produced many famous thoroughbreds, including 1916 Kentucky Derby winner George Smith and the winner of the 1923 English Grand National polo championship.
John Sanford died eight months after the 1939 horse barn fire. John’s son, Stephen "Laddie" Sanford, a famous horseman, and two of John’s daughters took over the farm. Bigelow-Sanford Carpet left Amsterdam in 1955. The farm was put up for sale in 1976, the year before Laddie Sanford died.
A group called the Friends of the Sanford Stud Farm has been working to restore what remains of the farm buildings.
In 2003, retired Sanford jockey Louis F. Hildebrandt of Perth wrote a book about his horse riding exploits called “Rider’s Up.” His son Sam Hildebrandt, the founder of the Friends organization, is out with a new book on the history of the horse farm, originally called Hurricana because of the strong winds that blow through its location on top of a hill. The new book is called “Hurricana: Thoroughbred Dynasty, Amsterdam Landmark.” It contains 193 photos from 32 different sources.
Sam Hildebrandt said one story about the disastrous 1939 fire is that it was started on purpose by a disgruntled worker, angered at the hazing that new farmhands were subjected to by old-timers.
However, research done by another volunteer with the Friends indicates the exercise boy involved appears to have started the fire accidentally, although the youth was punished for violating terms of a parole he was serving while working at the farm.
Patrick Boles of the town of Amsterdam said newspaper accounts indicate exercise boy William H. Dougrey, 15, from Glens Falls started the fire by disposing of his lighted cigarette inside the barn. Even if Dougrey had no intention of starting the blaze, Boles said that smoking was prohibited inside the Sanford barns because of the fear of fire. No charges were filed in connection with the fire itself.
The youth had been sent to work at the Sanford farm after getting into some unspecified trouble in Glens Falls. After the fire, Sanford head trainer Hollie Hughes saw to it that the youth was sent back to Glens Falls court. There Dougrey was found guilty of violating parole and sent to a state penal reformatory.
