-- Harold Hill, from the song Ya Got Trouble in the musical the Music Man.

Dan Patch, the legendary harness racehorse who set numerous records in the early 1900s, had been dead for more than 40 years when the Music Man made its debut in 1957, yet he remained a cultural icon.

His celebrity status has diminished over the years -- although a good deal of Dan Patch memorabilia continues to trade hands regularly on eBay, and he remains a special part of American horseracing and history.

Now, descendants of the man who bred and first owned Dan Patch are doing what they can to help preserve and extend the pacer's legacy.

Dan Patch was born on April 29, 1896 in Oxford, Indiana, about 85 miles northwest of Indianapolis.

The barn where Dan Patch spent his early years with breeder-owner Daniel Messner Junior, an Oxford businessman, still stands on the east side of town and will soon be getting a facelift from four of Messner's grandchildren.

The group plans to restore the barn, which has most recently been used for farm equipment storage, to its early 20th century glory.

"We agreed about a year or so ago to get it restored," said John Messner, one of the grandchildren and the only one still living in Oxford.

"There's a lot of interest in it around here. A lot of people stop by, and a lot of those who do stop want to go in and take a tour. The original part is unsafe right now. So it would be nice for people to be able to go in and look around."

The barn has "Home of Dan Patch 1.55" painted on the roof and there is an Indiana Historical Bureau marker near the road.

The town water tower has "Oxford: Home of Dan Patch" emblazoned on it.

"The barn is right on the edge of the state highway and we see a lot of people taking pictures," said Messner, who lives nearby.

"Sometimes, they'll stop by the house. I think my wife [Pam] wants it to be like a museum. Most of the people I see are kind of older; the younger generation doesn't know a whole lot about Dan Patch.

“But it's a good deal. If people want to stop in, that would be great."

Messner, a 53-year-old golf pro at a small club, has two brothers, Richard Messner Junior of Santa Clara, California, and Dr. Daniel Messner of Southern Pines, North Carolina; and a sister, Diane Donnelly, of Boston.

"The barn doesn't look too bad from the outside, but it needs a lot of work," Messner said.

"We need to get it re-roofed and painted. The stalls are in pretty good shape. I'd like to get the original door restored.

“I think I have a good idea what needs to be done to make it look like it did a hundred years ago. Most of the pictures we have are of the exterior. As far as the interior, I think we've got enough of an idea to restore it to what it was like.

“Hopefully, within a few months, we'll get this thing going and be looking good by the time the cold weather sets in."

Messner's grandfather bred his mare Zelica to pacer Joe Patchen in 1895, and the result was Dan Patch.

He was stabled in the Messner barn until 1902.

He had a brilliant racing career for Messner, who sold Dan Patch for $20,000 -- a large sum of money at the time -- after one of Dan Patch's stablemates died, reportedly of poisoning.

Dan Patch later was sold to Marion Savage and extended his greatness not only as a racehorse, but also as a celebrity.

In addition to being undefeated in 56 career races (losing only two heats along the way), Dan Patch lowered the speed record for pacing on four occasions during time trials.

His officially recognised world record of 1.55.3 stood from 1905 until 1938 when Billy Direct paced a mile in 1.55.

However, Dan Patch was timed in 1.55 in 1906, but the clocking wasn't recognised as the world record because Dan Patch's connections used time trial methods that had been banned at the end of 1905.

His time of 1.55 was equalled on two occasions, but not beaten until 1960 when Adios Butler paced 1.54.3.

Crowds in the tens of thousands would routinely show up to watch Dan Patch race against the clock; by the end of 1902 no other horses would race against him.

And Dan Patch was the Michael Jordan of his time when it came to be a commercial asset.

Savage used Dan Patch to promote his own International Stock Food Company and licensed the use of Dan Patch's name for tobacco, an automobile, a washing machine, and a wagon, to name just a few products.

"The older you get, the more involved you get in the history," Messner said.

"My wife is really into it. Both of us are really fond of horseracing; it's a great sport.

“Dan Patch was a great athlete and way ahead of his time. Back at the turn of the [20th] century, there were no automobiles and everyone had a relationship of some type with horses.

“The horse was the car of today. I think that's why Dan Patch was so popular.

“It means a lot to be involved in something like this, even if it was a hundred years ago."

Courtesy Of Harness Racing Communications, A Division Of The United States Trotting Association