Rickwood Field facts for kids
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| Location | 1137 2nd Avenue West, Birmingham, Alabama |
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| Owner | City of Birmingham |
| Capacity | 8,300 (10,800 before renovations) |
| Field size | Left field: 325 feet (99 m) Left center: 399 feet (122 m) |
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Rickwood Field
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 Location in Birmingham, Alabama
Location in Alabama
Location in the United States
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| Area | 12.7 acres (5.1 ha) |
| Built | 1910 |
| NRHP reference No. | 92001826 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | February 1, 1993 |
| Surface | Tahoma 31 Bermuda Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | Spring 1910 |
| Opened | August 18, 1910 |
| Renovated | 2023–2024 |
| Construction cost | US$75,000 (US$2.36 million in 2022 dollars) |
| Tenants | |
| Birmingham Barons (Southern Association) – 1910–1961 Birmingham Barons (Southern League) – 1964–1965, 1981–1987, part-time 1988–present Birmingham A's (Southern League) – 1967–1975 Birmingham Black Barons (Negro Southern League) – 1920–1924, 1926, 1931–1936, 1938–1939 Birmingham Black Barons (Negro National League) – 1925–1926, 1927–1930, 1937, 1940–1948 Birmingham Black Barons (Negro American League) – 1949–1960 Philadelphia Phillies (NL) (Spring Training) – 1911, 1920 Pittsburgh Pirates (NL) (Spring Training) – 1919 Miles College (SIAC) 2025– |
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Rickwood Field is a famous baseball park in Birmingham, Alabama. It is the oldest professional baseball stadium still standing in the United States. It was built in 1910 for the Birmingham Barons baseball team. The stadium was also home to the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro leagues.
Even though the Barons moved to a new stadium in 1988, Rickwood Field has been kept safe. It is now like a "working museum" where you can experience baseball history. The Barons still play one game there each year. Rickwood Field is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a very important historical site.
Contents
Building a Baseball Dream
The Birmingham Coal Barons baseball team started playing in 1887. They played their games at a simple park called "Slag Pile Field." In 1901, they joined a league called the Southern Association.
In 1909, a young businessman named Allen Harvey "Rick" Woodward bought most of the team. He wanted to build a fantastic new stadium for them. He asked famous baseball manager Connie Mack for advice on how to design it. Woodward looked at two famous stadiums, Shibe Park in Philadelphia and Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, for ideas. He bought land in Birmingham for his new park.
The stadium cost $75,000 to build in 1910. This was a lot of money back then! It was designed by a company from Birmingham. The park was 12.7 acres big. It had concrete and steel stands along the sides of the field. A special roofed area behind home plate was for announcers and the press. Woodward named the field "Rickwood" after himself. It was the first stadium in Minor League Baseball made of concrete and steel.
Opening Day Excitement
Rickwood Field opened on August 18, 1910. Important people like the Governor of Alabama and the Mayor of Birmingham were there. Businesses in town closed early so everyone could go to the game. More than 10,000 fans filled the park for the first pitch. The Barons won their first game against the Montgomery Climbers, 3–2.
The new stadium was so good that the Philadelphia Phillies, a major league team, came to Birmingham for spring training in 1911. They were very impressed with Rickwood Field. They said it had everything a player or fan could want.
In 1912, a tornado damaged the outfield fence, but it was quickly fixed. In 1914, electric fans were added to the grandstands to keep fans cool. The Pittsburgh Pirates also used Rickwood Field for their spring training in 1919.
Baseball Through the Years (1910s-1940s)
The Alabama Crimson Tide college football team played many home games at Rickwood Field between 1912 and 1927. The stadium's large size meant more fans could watch their games.
More changes happened over the years. In the 1920s, a steel roof was added over the infield bleachers. A new entrance building was also built. In 1931, the Barons won the Dixie Series championship. In 1936, tall light towers were put up, allowing games to be played at night for the first time.
The stadium changed owners several times in the 1930s and 1940s. New outfield fences were built to make the field smaller. A ladies' restroom was added, and more box seats were installed.
Major League Stars and New Teams (1950s-1987)
In 1964, 1000 wooden seats from New York City's famous Polo Grounds stadium were brought to Rickwood Field.
Major league teams continued to play exhibition games at Rickwood. On April 10 and 11, 1965, the Phillies and Pirates played there. Famous player Roberto Clemente played right field for the Pirates and got three hits in one game.
In 1966, the City of Birmingham bought Rickwood Field. The Kansas City Athletics Double-A farm team moved to Birmingham in 1967. Many players from that team, like Reggie Jackson, later became stars in the major leagues.
On April 2, 1974, the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles played an exhibition game. Before the game, Hank Aaron was honored. He was about to break Babe Ruth's all-time home run record.
Between 1979 and 1980, the old wooden seats were replaced with plastic seats and metal bleachers. In 1981, minor league baseball returned with the Barons, who were then a Detroit Tigers team. A new electronic scoreboard was installed. In 1986, the Barons became a Chicago White Sox team, which they still are today.
In 1987, the Barons moved to a new stadium in Hoover. They later returned to Birmingham in 2013 to play at Regions Field.
Rickwood Today: A Living Museum (1990s-2023)
Since 1992, a group called the Friends of Rickwood has taken care of the ballpark. They are working to restore it to how it looked in its early days. They also host many amateur and semi-pro games. Visitors can walk in and explore the grandstands or even run the bases.
Since 1996, the Barons have played a special "Rickwood Classic" game there each year. Both teams wear old-fashioned uniforms from different eras of Birmingham baseball history. Baseball fans from all over come to watch this game.
Rickwood Field has also been used for movies. These movies helped bring back the old scoreboard and add 1940s-style advertisements on the outfield fence. Some of these old-style ads are even sponsored by real Birmingham businesses.
By 2005, the Friends of Rickwood had spent about $2 million to fix up the grandstands, press box, locker rooms, roof, and main entrance. They plan to create a Museum of Southern Baseball there in the future.
In 2022 and 2023, Rickwood Field hosted fun "bananaball" games by the Savannah Bananas.
Major League Baseball Comes to Rickwood
On June 20, 2024, a real Major League Baseball game was played at Rickwood Field. The St. Louis Cardinals played against the San Francisco Giants. This game honored the Negro leagues and was part of Juneteenth celebrations. The Cardinals won the game, 6–5. It was the first Major League game ever played in Alabama!
To get ready for this big game, the ballpark had $5 million in renovations. The grass playing surface was upgraded to modern standards. The outfield walls were padded and moved back 10 feet. The entire field was shifted slightly to make it more even. New dugouts, a modern batter's eye (a dark area that helps batters see the ball), a digital scoreboard, and safety netting were also added.
Before the MLB game, a Minor League Baseball game was played at Rickwood on June 18, 2024. The Montgomery Biscuits played the Birmingham Barons. During this game, the crowd was told that Willie Mays had passed away. Willie Mays grew up near Rickwood Field and started his baseball career with the Birmingham Black Barons in 1948.
Local Baseball Today
Starting in 2025, Miles College's Division II baseball team will play their home games at Rickwood Field. High school baseball teams from Birmingham City also play their home games there.
Gallery
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Rickwood Field facade
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Plan of the field
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Field
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Scoreboard
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Rickwood Championships
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First impressions of Rickwood, March 1911
See also
- Labatt Park in London, Ontario, recognized as the "oldest continually operating baseball grounds in the world".
- Warren Ballpark in Bisbee, Arizona, the grounds hosted professional baseball in 1909, but the present stadium dates to the 1930s.
- League Park in Cleveland, Ohio, began professionally on May 1, 1891, with Cy Young and the Cleveland Spiders defeating the Cincinnati Reds. The stands are removed, but the bases remain similarly positioned to this day. Local leagues continue to use this park.
