11-22-2023 4:29am

A LONG TRADITION:

A Thanksgiving Day tradition at St. James in Glyndon

10:00am at the Pony Ring. Parking in lower field (donations appreciated).

Videos by Tom Iglehart for St. James

Double click on the links below (the long version with more historic photos is first).https://vimeo.com/674218989/1a17c874b4https://vimeo.com/674017458/93ca68c2c5

It begins with a single hound—one long, lithe male with a white and brown coat who leisurely trots over the hill and down the driveway toward Mantua Mill Road in Reisterstown. Then right on his heels, the pack emerges, spilling over the asphalt, sprawling out through the grass, rough-housing along the horse pasture and field edges, stopping to sniff the occasional trunk of an old sycamore tree.

In the thick of them walks Ashley Hubbard, his pants tucked into tall boots and hands pressed tightly into his coat pockets, warding off the chill of this gray March morning. He moves quietly as the dogs fan out around him, ebbing and flowing in either direction but never straying far from his side. “Alright, Lancer! C’mon, Pilot!” he calls out to a few stragglers in a British accent, leading them across the road for a frolic among the daffodils of a neighbor’s meadow.As the huntsman at Green Spring Valley Hounds, Hubbard oversees these 75 crossbred foxhounds FINISH READING HERE

History

On December 3, 1892, Mr Redmond C. Stewart called the first meeting of what would later become the Green Spring Valley Hounds. As a teenager, he hunted with his private pack of hounds; now, as an adult, he had a vision for an organized club of members from all walks of life to breed a top-notch pack of hounds. He crossed together American Hounds (known as the best fox hunters in Maryland) with English Hounds and set off.

The same December, Stewart sent out fixture cards to 127 men from Baltimore and the surrounding neighborhood, and the club was born. The first joint meet with the Elkridge Fox Hunting Club happened less than a year later, with the connection surviving to this day with regular meets with the Elkridge Harford Foxhounds.

The Turn of the Century

1893 brought about a move from Stewart’s hometown of Cliffholme to Ten Mile House on Reisterstown Road, which the Club would soon outgrow. By 1897, the club purchased ten acres of land between Green Spring Valley Road and the Green Spring branch of the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad.

A beautiful clubhouse with kennels, a stable, and a spacious front porch was constructed, which remains the site of the Green Spring Hunt (Lower) Club.

The Club would keep growing, adding card games, clay tennis courts, and in 1914, a 10-hole golf course. As the country and the Club itself began to develop, more meets were carded to the North; by 1925, the hunting component of the Club was moved to a 168-acre farm named Stamford on Mantua Mill Road, the current home of the Green Spring Valley Hounds.

Surviving the Great Depression

The 30s and 40s brought about significant changes to the club. The Depression decreased the number of members and hounds, eliminating hunting positions. During the wartime of the 40s, many prominent members joined the fight. The first woman would be appointed MFH during this time—Grace Miller was given this title as many men were overseas.

Another first of the 40’s: Lee Grimes would be the youngest professional huntsman to join a professional pack and would hunt on the GSVH team for the next 35 years, later being elected into the Huntsman’s Hall of Fame.

“Upper” and “lower” clubs would experience a formal separation, with the “upper” clubs hosting Baltimore’s annual horse show and landowner’s luncheon. This separation would bring about the formation of the Green Spring Valley Hounds, Inc. It wasn’t until 1974 that members could join the Upper Club without skipping the Lower Club’s enrollment process

The Next Generation

In 1981, Grimes would pass the torch to his whipper-in, the 20-year-old Andrew Barclay. Barclay would hunt the hounds until 2001, entering the Hall of Fame.

2012 would bring new kennels and structures, and 2015 would see the completion of a long-range plan to ensure the GSV Hounds’ longevity.

Nighttime foxhunting runs are no more, and new developments have changed the country’s landscape – despite this, much remains the same, with the same excitement being shared by current members.

Since 1892, the Green Spring Valley Hounds have provided some of the best fox hunting in North America; we are proud to carry on these traditions thanks to our wonderful country, talented staff, masters, and passionate memberships.