Raleigh's Athletic Park was used by NC State from 1892-1897; it was the team's first home field and was replaced primarily by the Fair Grounds, though its usage was supplemented by the use of Red Diamond; the field was originally constructed for use by the Raleigh Athletic Association.

Overall, NC State had a record of 4-2-1 at this field, all as home non-conference games. Additionally, 3 games were canceled.

  * Non-conference games

Raleigh's Athletic Park was first constructed in late February 1889 by the Raleigh Athletic Association, which was organized around the same time. Located "at the northern terminus of the street car line," the area was reported to be "quite a large plat of land." Fences from the old Raleigh Base Ball Park (1884-1888, located across from O'Rorke-Catholic Cemetery, on the west side of Tarboro Street), were purchased for use at the new park [1]. The first known game on the grounds was the University of North Carolina's first ever win in a football game, their March 1st, 1889 thirty-three-to-nothing mauling of Wake Forest; organized at the same time as the public announcement of the Raleigh Athletic Association, the grounds were so new that, concurrent with game's announcements ran Editor W. C. Dowd's lukewarm declaration, "I think the grounds will be in fine condition" [2].

Built at first with just stands, fencing, and seats, by early April Raleigh's independent city team was organized; once that happened, the fences were whitewashed and the grounds regraded [3]. The next noted improvements to the grounds were in November 1891, when, ahead of the Wake Forest-North Carolina football game, "ample room" was "reserved for those who go [to the game] in carriages -- the whole side of the grounds in left and centre field being reserved for that purpose" [4].

For over a year afterwards, however, the only talk of the grounds in the papers besides game announcements were complaints of the field's deteriorating condition [5]. By 1894, the grounds were purchased by the local street car company, who promised to keep it in good condition, though it was noted by September that it was still not "in proper order" [6]. By March 1895, however, it had been repaired, and in July 1896 a new grandstand had been constructed, staving off a brief search for new grounds [7]. It was again repaired in 1897, making it "one of the best parks in the south" [8].

By late December 1897, however, the grounds were abandoned, probably because North Boundary street was widened so that it extended 15 feet further into the park. The Thanksgiving football game between Shaw and St. Augustine was advertized as the final game on the ground. "For the first time in fifteen years," wrote one columnist, "[Raleigh is] without a park for baseball games" [9]. There may have been a handful of semi-formal high school or amateur games at the field in Spring 1898, but the city remained without a "first class athletic field" for the bulk of the rest of the year [14].

Though the grounds have not been located on a historical map of Raleigh, there are several descriptions of their location. First and foremost is the quote from the introductory paragraph, stating that the field was at the northern terminus of the street car line; when the streetcar line was extended the previous year, the work was described as follows: "At the northern end of Blount street... the street car line will be extended from its present terminus on Polk street to the gate of the [Brookside] Park, on North Boundary street, at the northwest corner of the cemetery." When the lines were further extended in 1892, "The cars going to the park will descend the present heavy grade to the entrance of the [Oakwood] cemetery, but in returning they will go around the north way by Athletic Park into Blount Street" [10].

Brookside Park is the other main indicator of the park's location. "The old Athletic Park, Brookside Park and the adjoining fields" were under consideration for the creation of a military training camp during the Spanish-American War. When the land was sold in 1901, a Mr. O'Quinn intended to turn the land into a nursery for growing flowers; the writeup on the land's sale noted that he was considering building a house on the portion of the 4-acre parcel along Swain Street. Similarly, in a 1941 reminiscence sportswriter Billy Anderson recalled the time when Dan Brouthers hit a smashing homeroom into Oakwood Cemetery from "Old Brookside Park" during the 1891 Baltimore-Wake Forest baseball game. He closed by stating the park was "where Fallon's Greenhouse now stands." That greenhouse was said to sit at 500 Watauga Street, which is Swain Street in the present day [11].

Based on the above descriptions, I searched through Raleigh's historic deeds registry, and found success: Jesse O'Quinn purchased a plot of land from James McKee on September 20th, 1901. James McKee was a major proprietor of sports in Raleigh, as well as the president of the Raleigh Athletic Association*, which opened this park. McKee himself purchased the property from William Carter Stronach, a banker who owned a great deal of land around Oakwood cemetery, on April 5th, 1888. Stronach's sale of land to McKee, approximately shown below, was described as follows:

Beginning at a point in the East line of Elm Street 262-1/2 feet North of Polk Street runs thence North along Elm Street to North Boundary Street thence East along North Boundary Street to Swain Street thence South along Swain Street to A. B. Forest's corner (said corner being 210 feet North of Polk Street) thence West 210 feet thence North 52-1/2 feet thence West 210 feet to the beginning.

Given the sale date, McKee's associations with the Athletic Association, and the land's proximity to known descriptions (Oakwood Cemetery and Brookside Park), I think it's clear enough to say the land is that of the park. It further matches the location of O'Quinn's greenhouse as set out in the 1905 Raleigh City Directory [12].

To this point, no photos of Athletic Park have been positively identified.

* He was also father of future NC State coach John Sasser McKee (1898-1899).