In the early 20th Century, two cities in Virginia competed heavily for the title of the "City of Sports" of Virginia. Both cities hosted dozens of neutral site football games a year, in conjunction with fielding numerous semi-pro or amateur baseball teams. Contemporary newspaper coverage is extensive and demonstrative of a significant sporting interest in both cities. Norfolk, however, did not always receive the same support for its fields, leading to a very fitified pattern of building and then tearing down fields, often at the behest of local railroad or trolley companies. Adding to the confusion, a number of the fields shared the same name, or changed names over the course of their usage. Further obfuscating matters is that Portsmouth, which sits just across Elizabeth River, was heavily covered in local Norfolk papers, and several times shared both field names, or even playing fields, during seasons which one team or the other lacked a suitable location of their own. To assist in ascertaining which fields were used and where, I have created the following short guide.
League Park I was opened in 1894 for usage in Virginia state baseball league. Work started on March 26th, with the intention of opening by April 1st. Opening on April 14th, League Baseball Park (the name it featured throughout the duration of its usage) christened its play with a matchup between the Norfolk YMCA and the Norfolk state team, later known as the Clam Diggers [1] [2]. The grounds opened with seats for about 500 spectators, but was enlarged in April to about 1,000, and again in May to seat roughly 2,000 [3] [4]. In February 1898, the park was torn down and relocated at the behest of the local street car company, with much of the material being used to construct League Park II [5] [6] [7].
Based on city directories and contemporary newspaper descriptions, the park was located near the intersection of Chapel/Cottage Avenue and Johnson Avenue, near Elmwood Cemetery and Proescher Hill [2] [8] [9]. Unfortunately, it was not captured on any of the Sanborn Fire Maps, though remnants of the park's structures can be seen on the 1910 fire map.
Using existing materials from League Park I, the second park was nearly completed by March of 1898 [5] [6]. Due to a lack of local interest and funds, however, the relocated park was short-lived, with team owner Captain E. Harvey Cunningham tired of "playing angel" and supporting a team that was not, in his view, properly appreciated, though later reports claimed his request to renew a lease was denied by property owner [11]. Whatever the case, the entire park was disassembled for the second time in just 3 years, but this time was sold piecemeal "in lots to suit the purchaser," with special emphasis put on the fencing. By mid-January, "much of the fencing and bleacheries [sic]" had been torn down [12] [13] [14].
The location selected for League Park II was not far from the first, just a few blocks to the southwest. Located between Princess Anne Avenue and Goff Street, the address in the 1902 city directory was listed as 260-268 Princess Anne Avenue [5] [15] [16].
Also see Lafayette Field for additional history and images.
Not much time was lost between the destruction of League Park II and the creation of a new field. Probably to help minimize the future meddling of singular interests, this time management and ownership of the park was taken over by the Lafayette Field Organization, with a the Lafayette Field Organization chartered in late June 1902 and the selection of a new plot of land by late August [19] [20]. Though Norfolk did not field a state or semi-pro baseball team from 1902-1905, the rapid construction of a new field was important for local business intersts: a number of marquee matchups, such as UNC-UVA (which played in Norfolk from 1900-1902), moved to Richmond due to the lack of a suitable field despite reports of interest in keeping the game there [21] [22]. The land, which previously had been the location of the Norfolk Fairgrounds, was later turned into a municipal hospital.
Lafayette Field was located on the east side of Church Street and was bounded by the Norfolk & Western tracks on the south and Rugby Street to the north, creating an odd triangular shape [23] [24] [25].
Also see Norfolk Athletic Park for additional history and images.
Semi-pro baseball came back to Norfolk in 1906 after a 5 year absense with the founding of the Norfolk Tars, who played in the Virginia League [21]. The Tars won the league in 1907 and were routinely among the better teams in the league. Following on the coattails of the Tars' success, Norfolk constructed a new park for use predominantly by the Tars. Selection for a new site began in February 1908, and the park was opened in late April 1909 [27] [28] [29]. The park remained open for just 3 years, with the Norfolk & Western Railroad purchasing the land for the construction of car barns and shops in January 1912, and construction nearing completion by August [30] [31] [32]. The field's name was selected by long-time Virginia baseball manager Otto Wells, who was at that time coaching in Norfolk. The name was apparently selected from "a number of names sent in" as part of a competition to win free tickets for the season [41]
The location of the Norfolk Athletic Park was near the intersection of 18th and Elmwood [33].
Also see League Park (III) for additional history and images.
When N&W purchased the land of the Norfolk Athletic Park, they simultaneously purchased new land for the construction of League Park III. The park seems to have opened in time for the 1913 baseball season, opening under the name League Park [32] [35] [36]. The field burnt down in August 1930, but was rebuilt and renamed Bain Field in October 1930 in honor of Phillip Davis Bain, head of the American Peanut Corporation, who had passed in February 1930 at age 69. Bain owned the property on which the park stood [37] [38]. The park was used until 1940, when it was badly damaged by a series of storms; the tenants, the Norfolk Tars, elected to move to nearby High Rock Park/Myers Field rather than rebuilding the original stadium [21]. See several pictures of League Park III here.
League Park III was located between 18th Street, 20th Street, and Church Street [21] [32] [39].
See an interactive map of the 5 ballparks discussed above here.
Last updated: 3/1/2024