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Comment by Steph (17+5) on April 6, 2009 at 7:47am

This is very cool! Last year, I started collecting old postcards showing the old ballparks, especially those that no longer exist. This information will help me in that quest, so thank you!

Comment by larry foglyano on March 21, 2009 at 6:23pm

you forgot league park in cleveland part of it is still standig on the same spot

Comment by Jack (6) on February 20, 2009 at 11:16pm

I second that! It would be neat to see photos of these sites if you have them. I think I need to buy that book "green cathedrals". :)

Comment by Matt Nelson (35) on February 20, 2009 at 7:39am

Unfortunately I don't have my copy of "Green Cathedrals" in front of me right now, but here's what I recall on that Fort Wayne situation (I've never researched it myself, just read about it)...the game was played as part of the National Association, some don't consider that to be a major league, but my understanding is that it was the highest level of baseball at that time, and involved professional teams playing against each other which hadn't happened before. There were actually a couple of games held in that league prior to the first game of the year in Fort Wayne, but those were wiped off of the books after one of the teams didn't pay its money to the league. The site is in a random neighborhood just west of downtown Fort Wayne. As I noted above, there's no plaque or any indication of the site's historical signficance. Here's a link that might give you additional info.

http://www.projectballpark.org/history/na/kekionga.html

Comment by Craig (17) on February 20, 2009 at 12:32am

Interesting Fort Wayne fact! I had no idea that it was home to the first MLB game. I spent a summer interning for the Fort Wayne Wizards baseball team and surprised I never heard that before.

Comment by Matt Nelson (35) on February 17, 2009 at 11:18pm

I'll try to add some photos and details at some point in the future. Here's my list, as I noted above, some of them are pretty easy to get and to pile up the totals because you're talking about different ballparks on the same piece of property, or just across the street, etc. It's certainly nice when there are ballpark remnants (Braves Field above), a plaque (Crosley), or even a statue (Huntington Avenue Grounds), rather than no sign at all (like Fort Wayne, Indiana where the first major league baseball game was held)!

Atlanta – Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium
Bloomington, Minnesota – Metropolitan Stadium
Boston – South End Grounds I, South End Grounds II, South End Grounds III, Huntington Avenue Grounds, Braves Field
Chicago – Comiskey Park I
Cincinnati – Lincoln Park Grounds, Bank Street Grounds, League Park I, League Park II, Palace of the Fans, Crosley Field, Riverfront Stadium
Cleveland – Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Denver – Mile High Stadium
Fort Wayne – Kekionga Base Ball Grounds (Grand Duchess)
Houston – Colt Stadium, Astrodome
Kansas City – Municipal Stadium
Keokuk, Iowa – Walte’s Pasture (Perry Park)
Los Angeles – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Louisville – St. James Court, Eclipse Park I, Eclipse Park II, Eclipse Park III, Eclipse Park IV
Milwaukee – County Stadium
Minneapolis – Athletic Park II
Philadelphia – Veterans Stadium
Pittsburgh – Exposition Park I, Exposition Park II, Exposition Park III, Forbes Field
San Francisco – Seals Stadium, Candlestick Park
St. Louis – Sportsman’s Park I, Sportsman’s Park II, Sportsman’s Park III, Sportsman’s Park IV, Robison Field
Washington D.C. – Capitol Grounds, Swampoodle Grounds (Capital Park Grounds)

Comment by Craig (17) on February 17, 2009 at 11:10pm

Wow, you have seen 44 sites! That is impressive! I would love to see pictures and/or more blogs on these locations if you would care to share with us...