Located at the northern edge of the borough of York Springs, Griest Park began in 1895 as just a cleared field on the farm of Charles J. Griest. Here, locals played baseball and raced their horses to see whose was the fastest. In the years after WWI were a boom time for the park.

Horseracing became quite a big business and Mr. Griest traveled widely to secure horses for the races. A 1929 scorecard listed horses from as far as Rochester, NY, and Concord, NC. Races were held on Ascension Day, July 4, the second Saturday in August, and Labor Day. The Great Depression along with competition from other parks brought about the decline of racing at Griest Park with the last horse race being held there on July 4, 1936.