By Dick Graves
Special to The Star-Herald

No doubt, few theaters, if any, across the country have been named for a horse. The Braden Theater is such a theater named for John R. Braden, a locally-famous racer who beat just about everything on a track around the area. Braden was also known as “The Little Iron Horse from Tennessee.” It raced around the county, southern Maine and Canada for eight years and established new time records, holding those records for many years.

    Braden’s driver, John Willard, was born in the Oxbow in 1857. After Willard moved to Presque Isle, he went to work for Presque Isle’s own Thomas Phair, also known as the “Starch King of Aroostook.” Phair established several lumber and starch businesses around the Presque Isle area, which provided lots of jobs for lots of local men. Along the way, Phair made lots of money, too. He also had training stables on the east side of South Main St. about where the Rec Center is. After 30 years of Phair’s employment at the stables, Willard struck out on his own and opened stables of his own.
   In 1921, the Mooseleuk Club, then located above Marston’s and comprised of many of Presque Isle’s pillars of society, purchased Braden for $5,000 (lots and lots of bucks back then) and hired Willard to drive him. During the eight years of Braden’s racing and Willard’s driving, Braden won 200 of his 372 heats, was second in 78 and third 33 times. Over those years, Braden won a total of $48,000 for the Club, a grand sum of money during the 1920s. His last appearance was in Woodstock, New Brunswick, in September of 1929, winning that race against a horse named Dan Hedgewood. Willard retired from racing 10 years later.
   Now, according to John Hone (PIHS class of 1957) who has recently written and had printed a lovely book, “A Long Time Forgotten,” all about the history of the Presque Isle Opera House and the local movie theaters through the years: “The editorial of The Star-Herald of July 17, 1930 spoke in glowing terms of the fame of John R. Braden, suggesting that if there were an Equine Hall of Fame, Maine ought to place a statue of the famous horse who ‘was known to more people than any other horse that ever turned a Maine track.’” A committee was then selected to ensure that the remains of the horse were suitably honored. In 1930, Braden was laid to rest [in front of the grandstand] in a concrete vault with a large, handsome marble marker by F.B. Thompson (owner of the P.I. Marble Works on State Street). Thompson inscribed the stone:
JOHN R. BRADEN
2.02 3/4
J.N. WILLARD UP
Watts Aroostook Granite, By F.B. THOMPSON
   Again, according to Hone, Braden was foaled in 1912 and for the first few years of life, worked as a plow horse and wagon horse until it was noted that he had some speed. Braden was then given some speed lessons and later sent to Nashville for some real speed work. He won his first race when 4 years old and ran 72 races before he came to Presque Isle. Braden was loved by the townsfolk as they watched him and Willard working out along Main Street and the track.
   Several years ago, the presiding powers of the local racetrack decided to remove Braden’s vault in favor of laying out a dirt runway for truck and tractor pulls in front of the grandstand. The remains and vault were moved to their present site in front of the Exhibition Building. A few in-the-know skeptics still wonder if, in fact, the removal and replacement actually took place. The mystery lives on.

Photo courtesy of Larry Park