Polo was introduced into Newport 150 years ago today on July 10, 1876. Early in 1876, James Gordon Bennett, Jr. introduced polo to this country when he returned from England with polo balls and mallets. Polo was first played indoors at the old Dickel’s Riding Academy at the northeast corner of 39th Street and 5th Avenue in New York City. Later, it was played outdoors at Jerome Park, located in Westchester County, New York, with matches held in May and June of that same year.
When the summer season of 1876 arrived in Newport, grounds were laid out, which served as the home field for the Westchester Polo Club. Westchester was America’s first polo club organized on March 6, 1876, in NYC, not Newport, as it has been erroneously claimed, as is the claim that the field was inside Morton Park.
The lot selected in Newport for use was a ten-acre parcel of land owned by Luther Bateman. On the northern section of this property, a nearly nine-foot-high fence was erected enclosing the entire playing surface. Outside of the lot, towards the east, was Deadhead Hill with its rocky ledges and trees towering above the fence. The newspaper reporter on that day described the area as very romantic in appearance and thought that no better place could have been chosen for the playing of this new sport.
This nearly level playing surface was in good order on July 10, 1876, as Bennett and Lord Mandeville competed against two other men. Bennett was the only one who showed up in the proper polo attire, sporting high-top boots, light pants, and a blue and white shirt with a matching cap. Bennett and Lord Mandeville exhibited considerable levels of skill, which won the admiration of the guests on hand that day, including H. Hollis Hunnewell, Levi P. Morton and Mrs. Paran Stevens.
This polo ground came to be known as the Westchester Polo Ground for years and served as an important social gathering place during the summer months. In addition, this field would become the site of the first polo match ever played between two competing clubs (1877) and the first international polo match (1886) ever held in the United States.
Deadhead Hill can still be climbed today in Morton Park, but the polo grounds no longer exist. That area is now covered by Earl, Meikle, and Vaughan Avenues, located within the Fifth Ward of Newport.
