HISTORY OF LCH
Jt. Master Robert Secor and his charges.
In 1938 a small group of enthusiastic horsemen conceived the idea of establishing a foxhunting club in Central New York. The first gathering was at the home of Robert M. Haley and included Edward M. Thompson, Edward A. Hunt, Albert P. Oot, Frank J. Cashier, Robert H. Moses and Victor E. Maurer. Shortly thereafter, they were joined by Howeth Pabst, Vincent Verdiani, Harold Sullivan, Carl Woese, J Joseph Walsh and George Leighton.
The club was formally organized on September 20, 1939, and Mr. Edward A. Hunt was elected Master. He secured several couples of English Hounds from the Rocky Fork Hunt, Columbus, Ohio, and Welsh Hounds from the Genesee Valley Hunt. These hounds formed the nucleus of the pack and by judicious breeding it was built up to 17-1/2 couples.
Hunts were held in the Manlius and Fayetteville areas and some West of Syracuse from the Strickland farm. After a number of years in office, Mr. Hunt resigned and was succeeded by Mr. Dwight W. Winkelman. World War II intervened and all hunting was suspended. The club continued its non-hunting and social activities and a newsletter was sent to members in the service around the world.
Edward Hunt, Jr., MFH with our first pack of hounds. He bought them from Goodrich Farm in Ohio in his station wagon along with his son, Bud. Mr. Hunt, Jr. was the founder and first Master of Hounds of LCH.
THE LATE 1940s
The hunt was re-activated in 1947 with Mr. Herbert A. Dunn as Master. A new pack was secured and fences had to be re-built, but hunting was resumed that season. Mr. Dunn resigned due to poor health. Mr. Edward A. Hunt succeeded Mr. Dunn.
The club applied for recognition with The Masters of Foxhounds Association of America (MFHA) and LCH was registered in 1949.
THE 1950s
In 1950, Mr. Edward M. Thompson , who served as Jt. MFH with Mr. Dunn, was elected Master. During this time, an old farmhouse was remodeled to serve as the clubhouse and a pool was built on the property and stocked with trout for the convenience of members. A new kennel was built on Master Thompson’s property and additional territory in Cazenovia was opened; this country is still in use by LCH today. Mr. & Mrs. R. James Hubbard were instrumental to the hunt in the Cazenovia area.
Mrs. John F. Rooks served as Jt. M.F.H. for a short period, assisting in establishing the Junior Hunt and helping with the Hilltoppers.
LCH was permanently recognized by the MFHA in 1954.
The Junior Hunt, circa 1957
Troop K Road, Manlius
MFH David O. Chase October 1983
Photo from the Syracuse Post Standard
THE 1960s and 70s
Mr. Kenneth L. Digney and Mr. Cecil B. Roulston succeeded Edward Thompson as Joint Masters in 1967 and carried on an active program. Mr. Roulston hunted the hounds and continued to encourage the growth and involvement of young riders.
In 1974, after serving as Fieldmaster, Mr. David O. Chase was elected as Joint Master and territory was opened up in Skaneateles, NY, where LCH hunted two or three times a season. A riding injury led to Mr. Digney’s early retirement.
New kennels were constructed in 1975 on what was then Mr. George Ninos’ Olympia Farm and is currently Bamboo Brook Farm, owned by Steward Alix Coursen and her husband Matt. The clubhouse was reverted to the Cavalry Club. During this period, Mr. Roulston became ill and Mr. Chase assumed the duties of Master and Huntsman.
With the aim of developing a pack of purebred American foxhounds, three couple of hounds were drafted in from the Potomac Hunt, four couple from Orange County Hunt, and two couple from Toronto/North York hunt. Hunting flourished for a number of years and regular meets were held on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
THE 1980s
Mrs. John F. Rooks and Dr. William F. Stack were elected as Joint Masters in 1982, with Dr. Stack acting as Fieldmaster and Mrs. Rook assisting with the breeding program, as well as serving as Honorary Secretary and Kennel Huntsman.
During the 80s, the club began to hold hunter paces and hunting clinics, as well as hunter trials, all of which were successful in bringing more riders to the knowledge and enjoyment of our sport. The Junior Hunt continued to flourish, consisting of the sons and daughters of members and their friends, with this group voluntarily contributing generously from their own treasury in support of the hounds and kennel.
In 1989, LCH first hunted a pack of entirely home-bred hounds and entered the L litter—the twelfth litter whelped under the breeding program established by Mr. Chase in 1974.
THE 1990s
During the 90s, Dr. Stack succeeded Mr. Chase as Master, with Mr. Robert Secor serving as Joint Master.
1995 saw the arrival of new members John and Barbara Anderson, who brought with them a generous spirit and boundless energy that helped to shape the club and still drives us forward today.
When Mr. Secor retired in 1998, Mrs. Barbara Wolff and Mr. Rick Hill were elected as Joint Masters, serving alongside Dr. Stack. With the generous help of Mrs. Wolff, a new kennel was built in Erieville, NY. It is still in use and serves as home to both Huntsman and pack.
THE EARLY 2000s
2005 brought tragedy to LCH when Jt. MFH Rick Hill was struck by heart attack while hunting in Ireland and passed away. That same year, Mrs. Wolf retired and Dr. Stack suffered an injury that ended his riding career. He remained MFH for another year.
Mr. John Anderson succeeded Dr. Stack as MFH. His wife, Barbara, became Jt. MFH at the same time.
They invited Mrs. Toloa Perry, who had a long history serving the club, to the role of Jt. MFH as well. The Andersons still serve in these roles today and the club continues to flourish under their leadership and generosity.
A lover of hounds, Mrs. Perry was a regular on hound walks and whipped-in for many years before assuming her mastership. She then went on to serve the club as both a steward and Honorary Hunt Secretary and road whipped
well into the 2010s. She still attends board meetings today.
During this time, Ann Adams became Huntsman, having served as First Whip under Dr. Stack. Ann was the first LCH Huntsman to complete the MFHA Professional Huntsman program, but passed away in 2007 after a long illness. Her First Whip, Lori Gronau, who had been hunting the hounds during Ann’s illness, took over as Huntsman and went on to complete the Professional Huntsman program as well.
Dr. Linda Schicker agreed to a turn as Jt. MFH in 2008, but retired and Mr. & Mrs. Nelson Eddy succeeded her as Joint Masters in the 2010 season. Nelson and Renee are still serving in their roles today.
2005 “B” Litter
John Anderson, Jt Mfh, Barb Anderson, Jt Mfh, Barb Wolff, Jt Mfh, Dr. Stack, MFH
THE 2010s
As the Cazenovia area began to become built up, our territory expanded to east of Route 13. The Skaneateles territory was suspended when Mr. Chase retired from the hunt, but the Andersons worked with local land owners and member Roger Gates to open up territory in Vernon, NY, which we still hunt today.
In 2011, Ms. Barbara Lindberg was elected to Joint Master and is still serving.
Relationships with fellow hunts in Vermont (Green Mountain Hounds) and Canada (Beaver Meadows Fox Hounds) lead to many exciting joint meets and both joined us for the Opening Day Parade of Hounds regularly.
Huntsman Lori Gronau continued the breeding program, leading to success at the Adjacent Hunts Puppy Show in 2012 when two of our C litter were awarded Champion Status and one Grand Champion. The entire C litter, along with their sire LCH Harbor and Dam LCH Krystal, also won the Family Class. The Cs served as the foundation of our hunting pack for many years and LCH Harbor was know for his mentorship of his puppies and other young entry, as well as his distinctive voice in the field.
Professional Huntsman Kate Butler succeeded Lori Gronau for the 2017 season and served for two seasons. Kate applied her knowledge of hounds toward kennel improvements and refining the pack. During her tenure and thanks in large part to the generosity of the Andersons, a barn was built at the kennel to house staff horses and the F and G litters were whelped. Also during this time, the LCH Championship Hunter Pace series was revitalized and attendance increased dramatically, bringing more riders to the knowledge and enjoyment of our sport.
In 2019, Professional Huntsman Doug Russell stepped into the role and brought along his son, Colton as his assistant. The 2019 season was a spectacular one with more views and thrills than many of the previous seasons combined. Doug and our pack return to his home in North Carolina for the off-season, where he works with them extensively. Doug will be entering the H and I litters in the 2020 season.