Memories and History

From the 1922-1997  75th Anniversary Publication

As dawn breaks on a crisp morning, riders emerge from all directions to gather at the meet.  Anticipation builds as they greet one another while they await the huntsmen, the hounds and the thrill of the chase that is sure to follow. To foxhunt is to experience a sport that is not only exhilarating, but also rich in history and steeped in tradition dating back to 16th century England.  The early foxhunters did so as a means of controlling the fox population that the farmers viewed as vermin.  George Washington was said to have been an avid foxhunter.  The earliest record of any hunting in Sewickley dates to 1897 when a field of fifty rode over an eight mile drag course on the McKean Shooting Club grounds.  Mr. Harvey Van Voorhis who would later become a charter member of the Sewickley Hunt, imported the Holoway Hounds from Chevy Chase, Maryland for the event.  The kill was in front of the present Sewickley Hunt clubhouse.  In 1899, the first local hunt began when interested members of the Pittsburgh Country Club bought horses and hounds, and held regular meets in Sewickley Valley.  Squeezed out by the city expansion in 1905, they moved to McDonald and became known as the Harkaway Hunt until they disbanded in 1914.

Founded in 1922 by Mr. and Mrs. J.O. Burgwin, the Sewickley Hunt is the thirty sixth oldest active hunt in the United States.  The Burgwins founded the hunt with their draft of three foxhounds;  Silence, Fanny, and Comic that they had acquired from their friend Daniel Sands, Master of the Middleburg Hunt.  They kenneled their hounds at their Sewickley Heights farm "The Paddock."  In 1924 the hunt was officially recognized by the Master of Foxhounds Association and in 1925 the Burgwins donated the hounds to the club.  At about the same time, Mr. Burgwin proposed to the board of the Sewickley Hunt that they acquire a ten-acre parcel of land know as the "Shooting Box" to accommodate those members interested in shooting, which is known today as The Sewickley Heights Gun Club.  ​

"Founded in 1922 by Mr. and Mrs. J.O. Burgwin, the Sewickley Hunt is the 36th oldest active hunt in the United States."

"The Sewickley Hunt is the seventh oldest active drag hunt."

- Directory of Recognized and Registered Hunts

According to the first fixture card published for the 1926-1927 hunting season, the "purpose of the Sewickley Hunt is to encourage interest in hunting in the Sewickley vicinity, and to establish and maintain a place for the raising, care and training of a pack of foxhounds."  The Sewickley Hunt was founded as a drag hunt, meaning that the hounds chase the scent of the fox rather than the real thing.  The drag, which is usually mink scent is laid approximately two hours prior to the hunt.  Laying the drag is not an easy job as one must crawl through underbrush and gullies in an attempt to simulate a fox.  The Sewickley Hunt listed in the Directory of Recognized and Registered Hunts as the seventh oldest active drag hunt.
    
Mr. and Mrs. Burgwin were joint masters until Mr. Burgwin retired in 1934 due to the demands of his business following the depression.  Mr. W.C. Robinson, Jr. succeeded him. Mrs. Burgwin continued as master until her retirement in 1939.  Mrs. C. Snowdon Richards was appointed to take her place.  Mrs. Burgwin continued to be closely associated with the hunt until her death in 1979.  Mrs. William Metcalf, a former joint master, recalls her grandmother, Mrs. George Binney, Sr. a charter member of the hunt and a champion side saddle rider, describing Mrs. Burgwin as "very strict" in the hunt field.  In a tribute to her she is remembered as a "forceful leader in the hunting field, a superb and fearless horsewoman."  No weather was ever too bad to deter her from the hunting field and she was often heard to say, "Stay at home on a bad day and you will miss some of the best hunting."  Other charter members included Mr. F.E. "Bud" Richardson, Jr., M.F.H. from 1950-1989, and Mrs. Charles A. Painter, Jr., another accomplished side saddle equestrian rider and mother of Mrs. Leroy Thompson, former M.F.H.
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Throughout the late 1920's and 1930's, the Sewickley Hunt as well as the five other Western Pennsylvania hunts:  Rolling Rock, Westmoreland, Indiana, Fox Chapel and Chestnut Ridge, were covered extensively on the society pages.  One such article in the November 10, 1935 edition of The Pittsburgh Press described the Armistice Day Hunt breakfast and dance to be held for the landowners on the following day at the estate of Mr. and Mrs. John O. Burgwin. "The day is begun annually with a hunt for members of the Sewickley organization, and it's a dress-up occasion for many men and women of the soil.  Later attired in their scarlet coats, the hunt members dance with their guests, whom they serve during the meal."

"Bear in mind that all are welcome in the hunting field, and whether on foot or mounted, all are on the same plane as sportsmen." 

Perhaps because of the many social events surrounding the hunt, the formal attire required in the hunt and the cost of keeping horses and hounds, hunting has often been thought of as an elitist sport.  It is actually quite the opposite as the 1926 Sewickley Hunt fixture card states, "Bear in mind that all are welcome in the hunting field, and whether on foot or mounted, all are on the same plane as sportsmen." 

 The Master is however, "supreme" in the hunt field.  Mrs. Burgwin was certainly not the only master to be intimidating in the hunt field.  During the war, Mr. Jim Flower was Acting Master for two years from 1943 through 1944.  Mrs. Phylis Keister Semple, who began hunting at the age of eight, recalls being a young whipper-in at the time and somewhat intimidated by him, until they were out hunting one day, taking a fence side-by-side when his horse refused and he fell off.  "I wasn't the least bit intimidated after that," she said.  The master does however command the utmost respect.  As Major E.S.C. Hobson wrote in "Fox Hunting,"..."Never argue with the master if reprimanded he is most likely right, but if he is wrong, he will apologize on the first opportunity; if you are wrong you should apologize.  Remember that the M.F.H. has much to try him and is supreme in the hunting field."
    
In 1947, Mr. Harry Black was appointed Huntsman and served in that capacity until his retirement 27 years later.  In 1950, Mr. W.C. Robinson and Mrs. C.S. Richards retired as joint Masters and were succeeded by Mr. F.E. "Bud" Richardson and Mrs. Semple.  That same year, the Allegheny Country Club Horse Show became known as the Sewickley Hunt Horse Show and was held on the grounds of the Allegheny Country Club until the early 2000's.  In early days the horses would arrive by train and were hand-walked up to their stables at the club.   The family class, which requires at least two generations to enter, has always been very popular with hunting families.  
    
In 1968, Mr. C.T. Marshall was appointed a joint master.  Mr. Marshall recalls the 1950's and the 1960's as "the golden age" of hunting.  At the time the territory extended clear to Beaver County.  One particularly memorable hunt involved the Freel's barnyard where Mr. Freel kept his bull.  Prior to the hunt, the staff would remove the top rail three fences surrounding the barnyard.  This particular day Mr. Freel must have put the rail back up and moved the bull back to the barnyard.  When the field jumped in, they were trapped, along with the bull who then decided he would be the one to jump the three rail fence and with a loud bellow, cleared it.  When Mr. Marshall and Mr. Black went back that evening to make amends, Mr. Freel just laughed and suggested that maybe they would be better off riding bulls than horses.

"People hunt for various motives - some for their love the thing - some for show - some for fashion - some for health - some for appetites - some for coffee - housing - some to say they have hunted - and some because of the hunt.”

-MR. SPONGE'S SPORTING TOUR

The hunt was incorporated in 1957.  In the early 1960's Interstate 79 was proposed which ultimately cut the hunting territory in half.  Despite the continuing loss of country as a result of development, the Sewickley Hunt still manages to provide its members with good sport in large part because it is a drag hunt.  
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Today, as much as things are different, they are still very much the same.  The Joint Masters have the same dedication to providing good sport and to preserving the traditions of the hunt as those who have preceded them.  People hunt today for many of the same reasons as they did in the late 1800's.  Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour, first published in 1853 in England, contains many observations that apply to hunting today: "People hunt for various motives - some for their love of the thing - some for show - some for fashion - some for health - some for appetites - some for coffee - housing - some to say they have hunted - and some because of the hunt."