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Before America had permanent road courses, it had Alexandria Bay.
Between the two world wars, brothers Barron, Samuel, and Miles Collier joined Thomas Dewart to form the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) in 1934. They were young sportsmen drawn together by European cars and the thrill of racing them on American roads.
For five summers beginning in 1936, ARCA transformed the resort town of Alexandria Bay into a street circuit for its aptly named “Round the Houses” races. European sports cars and American-built specials swept past homes, hotels, and storefronts as enormous crowds pressed against the course. The setting was elegant. The racing was anything but.
Dewart didn’t simply organize and compete in the races—he photographed them. His images captured something deeper: polished cars in the summer sun, drivers waiting for the flag, and spectators close enough to see their faces. Their beauty and intimacy make it clear he loved the cars as much as the competition. He later became president and publisher of the New York Sun.
In this photograph, Miles Collier is driving his MG PB Special, Leonidis, in the second “Round the Houses” race on August 7, 1937. Run under a handicap format, the race drew 10 entries, with Collier finishing fourth.
This was American road racing before grandstands, guardrails, and permanent circuits—hay bales at the corners, spectators just feet from the action, and an entire town caught up in the excitement.
At HF44, Leonidis will join several other surviving ARCA cars from this romantic, rarely seen chapter of American racing history. See them up close in a special display, then watch history come alive as they take to the track at Lime Rock Park.
