Most every year the minor league baseball team in Birmingham will play one game in old Rickwood Field, the historic old ballpark just west of downtown. The Rickwood Classic. The guys from hot stove will make the drive over for the game, so I bought myself a ticket. May 27. I'll probably go early and swing by the Birmingham office before the game.
The above graphic is inaccurate in several ways: that's not how the ballparks look, and it leaves out several old ballparks. Rickwood is said to be the oldest professional ballpark in the USA.
I cobbled together this list of old ballparks, using various lists, and looking up some old ballparks that I knew about. Includes major and minor leagues, college, independent leagues, even high school. Tried to use the original name, instead of a corporate rename.
1877 Labatt Park, London ON
1878 Fuller Field, Clinton MA
1889 Stan Galle Field, Spring Hill College
1890 Polo Grounds, NYC (closed 1963)
1982 Wahconah Park, Pittsfield MA
1894 Dubois County League Stadium, Huntingburg IN
1905 Damaschke Field, Oneonta NY
1906 Centennial Field, Burlington Vermont
1907 original Ponce de Leon Park (burned down in 1923)
1907 Coleman Field, Oregon State
1908 Cardines Field, Newport, CT
1909 Warren Ballpark, Bisbee AZ
1909 Forbes Field, Pittsburgh (closed 1970)
1910 Rickwood Field, Birmingham
1910 Cominskey Park, Chicago (closed 1990)
1910 League Park, Cleveland
1912 Fenway Park, Boston
1912 McClure Field, Norfolk
1912 Tiger Stadium, Detroit (closed)
1912 Crosley Field, Cincinnati (closed 1970)
1913 Eldredge Park, Orleans MA
1913 Ebbets Field, Brooklyn (closed 1958)
1914 Wrigley Field, Chicago
1914 City Island Ball Park, Daytona
1914 Shuttleworth Park, Amsterdam NY
1915 Bosse Field, Evansville Indiana (A League of Their Own)
1915 Braves Field, Boston
1920 Hermance Stadium, Oglethorpe University
1920 Doubleday Field, Cooperstown
1920 Simmons Field, Kenosha Wisconsin
1922 Centennial Field, Burlington VT
1923 Spiller Park, Atlanta: renamed Ponce de Leon Park in 1933
1923 original Yankee Stadium
1923 City Park, Bradenton Florida
1923 Tinker Field, Orlando
1924 McCormick Field, Asheville
1924 Tony Zupo Field, Lodi CA
1925 Henley Field, Lakeland
1926 Golden Park, Columbus GA
1926 Grayson Stadium, Savannah
1926 Bowman Field, Williamsport PA
1926 Newman Park, Catawba
1926 Breese Stevens Field, Madison WI
1926 Duncan Park, Spartanburg
1926 Point Stadium, Johnstown PA
1926 War Memorial Stadium, Greensboro NC
1926 Delano Hitch Stadium, Newburgh NY
1927 Veterans Field, Chatham MA
1928 Yale Field, West Haven CT
1928 Witter Field, Wisconsin Rapids WI
1928 Clark Field, University of Texas (closed in 1975)
1929 Luther Williams Field, Macon GA (below)
1929 Evans Field, Rockport MA
1930 Russ Chandler Stadium, Georgia Tech
1930 Engel Stadium, Chattanooga
1930 Weaver Field, Lansdale PA
1930 Doenges Stadium, Bartlesville OK
1930 Hamtramck Stadium, Hamtramck MI
1930 Municipal Stadium, Hagertown MD
1930 Municipal Stadium, Waterbuy CT
1931 Modern Woodmen Park, Davenport Iowa
1931 John O'Donnell Stadium, Davenport Iowa
1931 Ken Lindley Park, Prescott AZ
1931 Municipal Stadium, Cleveland (closed)
1931 Oakes Park Stadium, Niagara Falls ON
1932 Cooper Stadium, Columbus OH
1932 Hinchcliffe Stadium, Patterson NJ
1932 Kendrick Field, Helena MT
1932 Ray Wilder Field, Little Rock (closed 2006)
1933 Limeport Stadium, Limeport PA
1933 Mackenzie Stadium, Holyoke MA
1934 Amerige Park, Fullerton CA
1934 Newman Park, Salisbury NC
1934 Boverini Stadium, Passaic NJ
1935 Calfee Park, Pulaski VA
1935 Finch Field, Thomasville NC
1935 Buck Hardee Field, Wilmington NC
1935 War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo (closed 1989)
1936 Roosevelt Stadium, Union City NJ
1935 Washington Park, Santa Clara CA
1936 Katy Stadium, Chanute KS
1936 Clint Lightner Field, Garden City KS
1936 JP Small Memorial Stadium, Jacksonville
1936 McBride Stadium, Richmond IN
1937 Hi Corbett Field, University of Arizona
1937 Carson Park, Eau Claire WI
1937 Vargas Field, Winslow AZ
1937 Holman Stadium, Nashua NH
1937 Riverview Stadium, Clinton IA
1938 Fred Johnson Stadium, Kingsport TN
1938 Old Mountain Field, South Kingstown RI
1938 Fernand Bedard Ballpark, Trois Rivieres QC
1938 Quakertown Memorial Park, Quakertown PA
1938 Holt Moffitt Field, Lexington NC
1938 Bullens Field, Westfield MA
1939 Hicks Field, Edenton NC
1939 Durham Athletic Park, Durham, NC
1939 Dunn Field, Elmira NY
1939 Muzzy Field, Bristol CT
1939 Bowen Field, Bluefield WV
1939 Hobbs Field, Pueblo, CO
1939 Bicentennial Stadium, Allentown PA
1939 Ackley Park OK
1939 Phil Welch Stadium, St Joseph, MO
1939 Fleming Stadium, Wilson NC
1939 Stade Canac, Quebec City QC
1939 Guy Fuller Field, Falmouth MA
1940 City Stadium, Hill City
1940 Calvin Falwell Field (Bank of the James Stadium), Lynchburg
1940 Recreation Field, Montpelier VT
1940 DeLazier Memorial Field, Bloomingdale NJ
1940 Centene Stadium, Great Falls MT
1940 Fraser Field, Lynn MA
1941 Sam Lynn Ballpark, Bakersfield CA
1942 McCoy Stadium, Pawtucket RI
1942 Municipal Stadium San Jose
1943 Taylor Field, Lillington NC
1945 Tarboro Municipal Stadium, Tarboro NC
1946 Recreation Park, Visalia California
1946 McCrary Park, Asheboro NC
1946 Valley Strong Ballpark, Visalia CA
1947 Everett Memorial Stadium, Everett Washington
1947 Fort Macy Park Ballfield, Santa Fe NM
1947 Sherman Field, Lincoln NE
1947 Lowell Park, Cotuit MA
1947 Al Lang Stadium, St Petersburg
1947 Quigley Stadium, West Haven CT
1948 Mirmow Field, Orangeburg
1948 Corning Memorial Stadium, Corning NY
1948 War Memorial Stadium, Hampton VA
1948 Deltaville Ballpark, Deltaville VA
1948 Winter Chevrolet Stadium, Pittsburg CA
1948 Alumni Field, Keene NH
1949 Grainger Stadium, Kinston NC
1949 Shepherd Stadium, Colonial Heights VA
1949 Veterans Memorial Park, Little Falls NY
1949 Suplizio Field, Grand Junction CO
1950 Bing Crosby Stadium, Front Royal VA
1950 Spurgeon Field, Colorado Springs
1950 Albert Park, San Rafael CA
1950 Memorial Field Stadium, Huron SD
1950 Memorial Stadium, Baltimore (closed)
1951 Municipal Stadium, Reading PA
1951 Capilano Stadium, Vancouver
1951 Stanford Memorial Stadium
1966 Foley Field, UGA
A huge source has been the interesting Ballpark Brothers website. Here's a story about baseball in Columbus GA.
Years ago Will played in an ancient ballpark in Acworth. Thought I had written about some of the history of the place, but I can't track it down.
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