Man o’ War was buried at Faraway Farm on November 4, 1947. He died three days earlier at the age of 30. This was less than a month after the passing of his long-time groom Will Harbut who famously called him “The Mostest Hoss There Ever Was.” Man o’ War’s final resting place was to be in his old paddock area. This location can be found on a map at 3986 Huffman Mill Pike, Lexington, KY 40511 at what is now Man O’ War Farm. His funeral was broadcast over national radio and included nine eulogies. Big Red’s grave and Herbert Haseltine’s bronze statue (along with graves of several other horses) were relocated to the Kentucky Horse Park in 1977.
“Some of the 2,500 mourners reached into the casket to touch, or pat, the famous red stallion. And for his funeral on November 4, parked cars lined Huffman Mill Pike for nearly a mile. Estimates of the crowd ranged from 500 to 2,000. The elderly Mr. Riddle was absent, but he sent a spray of white and yellow carnations. The arrangement was one of eighteen placed near the grave. The plot was surrounded by a moat 10 feet wide and 4 to 6 feet deep. Sixteen pin oak trees – marking the number of years Man o’ War stood at stud – had been planted around it. The walkway to the site was lined with 30 hornbeam trees representing Man o’ War’s age.” [source]
» 1950s vs. 2020s Map Overview
» Man o’War Postcards • » Collectibles
Original Gravesite Location
Here is the original location of the Man O’War memorial superimposed on a Google Earth screenshot from 2020. This area is located in his former paddock area near his second barn on the former Faraway Farm. There is a structure laying flat on the ground seen in many current aerial photos just to the east of the statue’s original location. I do not know what this is as it only starts showing up around 2016 in other aerials.
3986 Huffman Mill Pike, Lexington, KY 40511: (38°08’21.1″N 84°26’53.9″W) Google Maps | Bing Maps
Here’s a larger version of the comparison – Faraway Farm: 1950s vs. 2020s.
To the northeast about 1000 yards away is the location of his first stallion barn on what is now Mt. Brilliant Farm. According to Barbara D. Livingston, “Man o’ War resided in this barn for much of his stud career – moving there in 1921 and staying until 1938.” The first stallion barn was refurbished in the early 2000s after Greg Goodman brought the property called Mt. Brilliant Farm. Man o’War’s Bell, which was rung every time one of his progeny won a stakes race, was moved from its original location to a place of prominence nearby. The barn can be see in this beautiful drone flyover video starting at 3:10.
The following photos were purchased from HistoricAerials.com for the years 1952-93.
You can see that by 1958 new fences had been constructed dividing the original walkway to the south and closing off the area to the north. A trodden path from Huffman Mill Pike to the monument is visible at this time. By 1959, a semicircular driveway was built for public access from the main road with two entrances. I do not know how much of the original walkway was pulled up, but by 1965 it is not visible any more. Also by 1959, a series of trees had been planted to the north and east of the monument.
Photographs of the Statue and Memorial from 1947-1949
Man O’War’s Funeral on November 4, 1947 at Faraway Farm
Copyright:© 1932-2017 Barbara D. Livingston Collection. All rights reserved. Photos should be credited Sames/Livingston Collection.
In the second photo, a close-up of the podium from foot level, you can see Man O’ War’s barn to to the front left [38.13822103238478, -84.44795359180834]. Though many structures on the farm are no longer standing, this one still exists and has a unique roof shape. He lived here during the last several years of his life after residing at his first stallion barn which is now located on what is called Mt. Brilliant Farm a little over 1,000 yds to the northeast [38.144055285967085, -84.43998281260572].
Read also southerncalls.com/article/man-o-wars-funeral and listen to the Radio Broadcast.
According to Sam Terry’s Kentucky History Blog, “A burial plot had been planned in advance. Its design included 16 Pin Oak trees representing the years Man o’ War stood at stud and the walkway to the plot had been lined with 30 Hornbeam trees representing the horse’s age. His funeral, at which nine eulogies were given, was broadcast internationally via radio. Across America, racetracks observed a moment of silence at 3pm, the time of the funeral on November 4. On his barn, the First Cavalry Division of the U.S. Army draped black ribbons on a scroll memorializing its honorary colonel. In Tokyo, 3,000 members of the cavalry division paused to present military honors. Near the end of the service, buglers from the Man o’ War Post of the American Legion and dressed in the Riddle silks, played Taps.”
1958 Color Photographs of the Man O’War statue and Faraway Farm
Taken September 14, 1958. The Photo Collection from Patricia Williams MacVeagh was donated to the National Sporting Library & Museum. [source: internetarchive.org]
Kodachrome Transparency Slides
Here are four original 35mm slides that are now a part of my personal collection. I purchased them off ebay. The first three are probably from the early fifties due to the low tree density surrounding the monument. The front walkway was also not mostly done away with by ’58. The fourth one is from November 1961 as marked on the slide.
In photo A, you can see a red brick house with two chimneys almost directly behind the statue but still far back. This is the same house seen in one of Barbara Livingston’s funeral photos. It is also somewhat visible in Google Maps.
Video Screen Captures From A Home Movie
Following are three frame captures from a grainy color 1950 video clip of Elmendorf Farm and Faraway Farm.
UPDATES: Had several wonderful conversations with someone who grew up across the street from Faraway Farm. Great to share some childhood memories of Lexington. Will be posting those notes soon. If you have any personal accounts of this area or can help me add to/correct the information I have, please let me know!
Posted Memories of a visit to Faraway Farm. Also added a page for Collectibles featuring items like decorative plates, frosted tumblers, coffee mugs and even ashtrays featuring MOW and Kentucky landmarks imagery.
Added two more pre-installation photos from January 1947 plus a side-by-side comparison of 1950s vs 2020s aerial photos of what is now 3986 Huffman Mill Pike, Lexington, KY 40511. Continue to add to the Brochures page, which contains Kentucky Blue Grass Region and Horse Farm materials.
Posted In Print showcasing print advertisements for Faraway Farm. Also added a new gallery of Postcards featuring photos of the statue at its original location.
Upcoming sections slated include the backstory of artist Herbert Haseltine and his famous sculpture, more coverage of Man o’War’s 1947 funeral, restoration of the statue and commemoration of his 100th birthday, history of Big Red as a champion racehorse and prodigious stallion.
This site is a work in progress and I add more photos, backstory and resources regularly. If you see something that needs a correction or can elaborate on the subject, please let me know. Closeup photos and videos of the actual location as it stands now are hard to come by as the farm is closed to the public. But if you live near Lexington and would like to contribute your imagery, send me an email and let’s discuss.