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Roanoke's Athletic Park first opened in 1893; it was never the home field for any college football team. It was replaced in 1906 by Roanoke's Fair Grounds, which later became Maher Field I.

Overall, NC State had a record of 1-0 at this field, with the lone game played as a non-conference matchup. The 1904 game against Virginia Tech was canceled, probably while trying to schedule a game against UNC.

  * Non-conference games

Roanoke's first baseball team was organized in 1884, and when Roanoke's Athletic Park opened in early 1893, it was at least the town's third sporting venue in the Pleasant Valley district [1]. Though the reason for the move (and each of the previous moves) are unclear, the Roanoke Athletic Club began searching for a new plot of land in early April, and by April 18th, the location was selected, with initial plans calling for a baseball diamond and a quarter-mile track to be enclosed and adorned with a grandstand. Work began just over a week later; the bulk of it was completed by mid-May, though the 350-person grandstand took until May 27th, 1893; bleachers were added later that summer, and the grandstand rebuilt closer to the diamond in 1895, though no revised capacity was given [2].

Major improvements ceased after 1896, when semi-pro ball was suspended. Though it continued to see action for collegiate and amateur athletics, the park was now mostly an afterthought. In May 1901, the bleachers collapsed, and by August a "substantial backstop" was constructed on the grounds for the Roanoke Rifle Club. Nonetheless, seasonal manager D. S. "Davy" Crockett was continually hopeful that a statewide league would revive professional baseball in Virginia's Magic City; though the grounds were revitalized in 1903 in anticipation of a new league, the miracle took a few more years to transpire [3].

In the meantime, another development was afoot in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood: Roanoke was establishing its own Agricultural Fair. The idea of purchasing the baseball grounds for such a purpose was floated as early as February 1902, but instead, the land next door was purchased. The first three fairs, held 1903 through 1905, were held on a plot of land just west of the baseball park, bounded by Franklin Rd on the west, Rice St (now Woods Ave SW; this extended towards the curent intersection of Jefferson and Williamson Rd SE) on the north, Jefferson St on the east, and Pleasant Avenue (now Reserve Ave) on the south. Though the Athletic Park continued to host some action, most major games transferred to the new Fair Grounds [4].

The fair remained in that location for just three editions, relocating one block southward after the Tidewater Railway (later the Virginian Railway, now a part of Norfolk Southern Railway) purchased their land to make way for a rail line; the baseball team's lot was formally incorporated into the new fair grounds in the process. This put baseball interests in somewhat of a pickle for the 1906 season: while the fair did intend to fix up the baseball grounds, the work wasn't to be completed until the fall, and with the entire surrounding land being generally reworked, the field was not in shape for Spring baseball.

Opening week drew closer and closer, but they still had no suitable playing field. The issue was further exacerbated since the team's manager took ill, forcing the cancellation of several pre-season exhibition games. Local rooters thought the team may have to be abandoned for lack of grounds, but at the last second, a deal was struck with the railroad, allowing the team to use their old grandstand and field in the interim. The arrangement lasted for the duration of the 1906 baseball season, though they may have played the latter portion without seating after the railroad ordered permanent structures to be removed [5]. The new fairgrounds were completed by September 1906.

While a map showing the exact location of the Athletic Park has not been found, we do have some textual hints as to their location. Many period newspapers note the plant's location along South Jefferson Street, near the river. Additionally, we know it was adjacent to the old Fair Grounds and in the path of the Virginian Railway's new tracks. The best textual description we have comes from a 1938 newspaper article teasing a picture in the possession of one Jack Craig; the reporter indicated that the park "was situated on South Jefferson Street opposite the Roanoke City Mills" near the "property now occupied by the Virginian railway shops and roundhouse," with an entrance along Whitmore Avenue [7].

Pictures of Athletic Park