Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Where The Games Were Played

In the 1860's and 70's, amateur teams played baseball in a variety of locations around St. Louis. Some of the more prominent locations are listed below.

  • The first recorded game played in St. Louis was at the Old Fairgrounds in north St. Louis.
  • The Empire and the Union clubs played some of their earliest games in a field located near the Rock Church on Grand Ave.
  • The Elephant and Saw Log Grounds was an open field near the riverfront just east of Broadway.
  • The Rowenas and Vanities played in an open field south of Lafayette Park.
  • The Gamble Lawn Grounds, located "near the old Rock Springs", was used by both the Empire and the Union.
  • In the early 1860's, Thomas McNeary built what would become known as Red Stockings Base Ball Park on Compton Ave.
  • In 1871, the Grand Avenue Park was built by August Solari and would be used between 1875-1877 by the Brown Stockings. Later, Sportsman's Park would be built on the site.
  • Stocks Park was built in 1875 by a combination of livestock dealers and baseball enthusiasts near the corner of Easton and Vandeventer Ave.

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