Group of 18 letters plus photos from two breeders of mastiffs in Middleburg Virginia, 1957-1961: dogs, dog shows, breeders...and desegregation!

Middleburg & Philomont, Virginia: Mooreleigh Kennels; Donaghmore Kennels at Patch Farms, 1957-1961. Responses to queries and letters from Glenn Wright of Pittsburgh, first advising him on prices of mastiffs (anywhere from $100 to $250) and how to care for and train them, and later, as he has chosen to purchase a mastiff he named Tristam from Marie Moore at Mooreleigh Kennels, occasional letters from Moore addressing Mr. Wright's questions regarding diet, hygiene, training, dog shows and championship lines, and other dog breeders, almost all of whom don't meet her standards. Moore also responds to Wright's questions about desegregation in Middleburg, which is in the middle of Virginia's "hunt country" and which was the site of protests in early 1961 when two Black students from Howard University seated themselves at a lunch counter in Middleburg and were refused service, which led to sit-ins and peaceful protests in the town, earned criticism from John F. Kennedy, and drew national attention to the area's bedrock racism. Moore and Wright seem firmly on the side of segregation. Most of the letters are from Marie Moore, but at first Wright contacted the Patch's as well, proprietors of Donaghmore Kennels in Philomont, a mere 8 miles away. In response, Ginette Patch sent back a number of letters giving advice and prices for her mastiffs, plus a leaflet from her husband, Richard King Patch, on the mastiff breed and its championship lines. According to Marie Moore, Wright should feel lucky that he didn't choose a dog from them because within a year Ginette had left her husband, taking the children with her, the business fell apart, and "Captain" Patch was deeply alcoholic. Moore didn't know what happened to their dogs but suspects a number of them died from maltreatment or were put down. Moore also writes detailed advice about the diet and training of mastiffs, advising Wright to be patient, to never bathe or shampoo the dog "as that ruins the coat," and as the dog gets older to put as much as a full teaspoon of lard in with the dog food. She dismisses rival breeders in the area as amateurs who don't know what they're doing. She advises against any medical treatments advertised in dog magazines as untrustworthy. In her last letter to Wright, dated May 5, 1961, Moore seems resigned. "I have pretty well made up my mind to give up the breeding of Mastiffs because I am very discouraged by the lack of interest or enthusiasm of other Mastiff breeders to try and improve the breed. No-one else seems to care the least about bloodlines or trying to establish a sound, sensible strain of dogs. I am very much of the opinion that the breed is doomed to extinction for I feel I have done all I possibly can, by myself, and as there is no-one to work with, I have come to the end of the road." In the same letter, she addresses the racial unrest in Middleburg: "Yes, it is quite true that our recent publicity, in Middleburg, is most unfortunate but, like death and taxes, I feel that it was inevitable. Every place, including the Red Fox is desegregated but the whole town and all of us who are so unhappy about the situation are trying to face facts with dignity and restraint. It was bad enough having Mr. Kennedy upsetting our tranquil mode of life, but this added insult has been a bitter pill indeed." (The town was home to William McKinley Jackson, president of the Loudoun chapter of the NAACP, and Middleburg had more black businesses than any other town in the county. It also was the town closest to Glen Ora, the country getaway for President John F. Kennedy, who with Jacqueline was a keen advocate of desegregation. At least twice, he attended mass in Middleburg. In early April, Jackson phoned the town's black physician, Maurice Edmead, and invited him to dine at the Red Fox Tavern. Others, blacks and whites, joined the men in what was the first public integrated table since the turn of the 19th century.) In addition to the letters, there are several photos of mastiffs, either puppies or full grown, a handsome 8x10 photo of a full grown mastiff named Corky, a Valiant Conqueror, and two brochures. Moore comes across as funny, completely devoted to her dogs, and dedicated to the highest standards of bloodlines and breeding. Wright comes across, from her replies to him, as a bit of a worrier and exceedingly meticulous (witness how he kept all these letters) and possibly a bit touched with OCD-- but a devoted and attentive dog lover as well. One interesting aspect of mastiffs that Moore addresses is that they are "one man dogs" and not really pack dogs; and that it is very important not to betray their trust and devotion. Chatty and informative letters, of interest to the many people curious about the culture and attitudes of elite dog breeders in 1950s-60s Virginia. Very good. Item #H27800

Price: $200.00 save 33% $134.00