"Old" Campus Athletic Field - Chapel Hill, NC

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Also known as Campus Athletic Field I, this on-campus playing grounds was home to the University of North Carolina's varsity and scrub football teams from 1889* through 1899, when it was replaced with Campus Athletic Field II (aka "New" Campus Athletic Field). NC State played 7 games at "Old" Campus Athletic Field, losing all of them, including a 0-6 record as a road team, and a 0-1 record when the field was a neutral site. One game, in 1894, was canceled. Overall, NC State was outscored 12-228 on this field. None of the games played here were conference games.

* Note: no home games were played in the Fall of 1888 or the Spring of 1889.

Date Opponent Time Ranking Result Attendance Length Comments
10/12/1893 at North Carolina (Scrubs) * 3:30 PM - L, 0 - 18 70 min. UNC's University Day; Game ended early by mutual consent
10/12/1894 at North Carolina * - L, 0 - 44 300 40 min. UNC's University Day
10/13/1894 at North Carolina * - N/A N/A N/A Called off 10/11/1894
10/12/1895 at North Carolina * 4 or 4:15 PM - L, 0 - 36 UNC's University Day
10/2/1897 at North Carolina * 4 PM - L, 0 - 40 300 35 min.
10/15/1898 at North Carolina * 4 PM - L, 0 - 34 35 min.
11/19/1898 vs William Bingham School * - L, 12 - 22 40 min. First neutral game on Campus Athletic Field
10/7/1899 at North Carolina * 4 PM - L, 0 - 34 40 min.

  * Non-conference games


Located near modern-day Bynum Hall, it is not known exactly how long this field was in existence. Reports of raising funds and constructing fencing for an athletic field in Chapel Hill, concurrent with the construction of a new gymnasium, appeared in March 1893, and the field was ready for use by July [1] [2]. Though it is not immediately clear if these were improvements to an existing athletic field, or if they were for an entirely new field, it appears as if the gym in question was the building referred to as University Gymnasium (1885-1897), which was outmoded in 1895 when improvements to Memorial Hall replaced it [a] [b]. The field was destroyed with the construction of Bynum Hall in 1904-1905.

At present, I have not yet found a digitized period map showing the field or precise descriptions describing its location beyond a handful of newspaper reports and tentatively-correct notes scrawled on the reverse of images (see below). In 1903 it was announced that a donation was given in the name of W. P. Bynum for the construction of a new building which would "probably be placed on the old athletic field" [3]. Additionally, several images noted that it was near the Carr Building (now the Henry Owl Building) and Smith Hall (now Playmakers Theatre). Placement has also been aided by the research of James L. Gilbert, a UNC football history enthusiast. See his work here.

There were repeated talks of turning the remaining parts of the land into tennis courts, starting around the construction of Bynum Hall, though these plans were not acted upon until 1907 [4].

A snipping of the 1915 Sanborn Fire Map of Chapel Hill showing the tennis courts where Campus Athletic Field once sat [8].
Approximate location of Campus Athletic Field I on a modern map of Chapel Hill.


Pictures of "Old" Campus Athletic Field


Photo showing the grandstands. Note that the building in the caption called the Carr Building is now called the Henry Owl Building [5]

A picture showing what I believe to be the only known picture evidence of football taking place on "Old" Campus Athletic Field. Note the lack of Bynum Hall (built 1905), the Carr/Henry Owl Building (built 1900), and the YMCA Building (built 1907), though it's possible (albeit unlikely, in my opinion) that some of these buildings could have been left out because of the angle of the picture. The image is confusing, however, given the lack of fencing around the field, as well as the decrepit and rudimentary state of the bleachers. I believe this image is from late in 1899, when much of the useful material had been scavenged to make Campus Athletic Field II, but before the start of construction on the Carr Building [6]

A nearly identical picture to above, this time without goalposts. The reverse reads "Campus, U.N.C. before erection of Carr building in 1899." Note the evidence of fence posts which have been removed along the foreground. The lack of goalposts could be because this picture was taken closer to baseball season [7]

Photo showing a game of baseball from the left baseline. The reverse reads "The Old Athletic Field (south of Smith Hall) Taken about 1893-4". Smith Hall is now Playmakers Theatre [5]

Photo showing a baseball game from the perspective of home plate. Titled on reverse "Chapel Hill, N.C. Feb. '97" [5]

Photo showing a dugout along the fencing. Titled on reverse "Chapel Hill, N.C. Feb. '97 - 'Fletch' Bailey practicing batting." Note that home plate is believed to have been below Smith Hall; as this picture is taken down the 3rd base line, the shadows roughly line up with the time of day you would expect to see at a baseball game at that time of day and at that orientation of the park [5]



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Last updated: 3/17/2024