New honor, old clash for Devon Horse Show

A state historical marker honoring the Devon Horse Show was unveiled Tuesday in front of - yet across the street from - the iconic blue spires of the show grounds.

The horse show's leaders did not support the effort to secure the blue-and-gold marker, which commemorates the 120-year-old show as the nation's oldest and largest outdoor multi-breed horse competition. So they refused to allow the roughly 12-foot signpost on its grounds.

Its placement instead on the site of former stables along the westbound side of Lancaster Avenue is another move in a tug-of-war that has included a leadership coup, speculation about the show's future, and calls for its grounds to be preserved.

The marker confers no special status, but highlights the history of the institution, and attracts community and touristic interest, said speakers at the unveiling Tuesday.

"Each marker establishes an important link to the past," said Howard Pollman of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. More than 2,400 blue-and-gold markers have been erected in the state, he said.

About 75 supporters gathered at the marker site. The land is owned by Eadeh Enterprises, a property management company, whose owners often deal with historic Main Line real estate and agreed to host the marker.

"We love the horse show and the horse show grounds," said Stacey Ballard, president of Eadeh. "We ... felt that it was a great recognition on the state's part to acknowledge that it had this historic significance."

The marker was first sought by a former president and chairman of the horse show, who asked Michael Morrison, president of the Tredyffrin-Easttown Historical Society, to apply for it. Earlier this year, the board, now governed by a different faction, withdrew its support. When the application was approved by the state this spring, the Devon Preservation Alliance, an unaffiliated group, offered to pay the $1,625 application fee.

The alliance, which wants to help preserve the show grounds, saw "the value of this project when others did not," Morrison said.

In a statement, Devon Horse Show leaders called the Devon Preservation Alliance a "rogue" group trying to create "a solution for which there is not an existing problem" and misleading the public by trading on its brand.

Josh Macel, president of the Devon Preservation Alliance, said at the ceremony that his group simply paid for the marker. Macel said he was disappointed that the horse show leadership was not a part of Tuesday's proceedings.

"I want to let the community know that we aren't going away," he said. "We're not seeking a profit. We're simply a group that saw a historic need."

Local historians and speakers from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia attended. Eugene Hough, from the preservation group Heritage Guild Works, said he plans to begin a project with local students to chronicle the history of the horse show.

"There's so much more of the story of Devon to tell," Morrison said.

jmcdaniel@philly.com

610-313-8205@McDanielJustine