Fire Strikes Fort Miami Racetrack

On This Day  |  Posted by: Tedd Long  |  04/03/2026

1957: Tragedy strikes at Fort Miami Racetrack in Maumee at the Lucas County Fairgrounds, when fire races through a barn near Key Street killing 27 racehorses. More than 60 horses were turned loose and created havoc as many panicked and ran out onto the streets and highway.

Fort Miami's history goes back to 1902 when the first race was held here as part of the Lucas County Fair. The track would go on to pioneer night racing. In 1929, Fort Miami was the first track in the country to install a lighting system for nighttime racing. The track was taken over by new owners and renamed Maumee Downs after this devastating fire in 1957. Eventually, horse racing faded away here and the grandstands were later used to host Toledo Mud Hens games until the team moved into Fifth-Third Field in 2002. Today this site is still used for the county fair and local sports programming. The black outline in the recent satellite image on the right shows where Fort Miami's 1-mile track sat in comparison to today's configuration of the fairgrounds.

For more Toledo history, visit www.holytoledohistory.com.