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 | 10,800 |
| Field size | Left field: 321 feet (98 m) Left center: 399 feet (122 m) |
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Rickwood Field
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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 | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | Spring 1910 |
| Opened | August 18, 1910 |
| Construction cost | $75,000 |
| 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 (Major League Baseball Spring Training) - 1911, 1920 Pittsburgh Pirates (Major League Baseball Spring Training) - 1919 |
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Rickwood Field, located in Birmingham, Alabama, is the oldest professional baseball park in the United States. It was built in 1910 for the Birmingham Barons baseball team. The park was created by Rick Woodward, who owned the team and was also a successful businessman.
Rickwood Field has been the home field for two important teams: the Birmingham Barons and the Birmingham Black Barons. The Black Barons were part of the Negro leagues, which were baseball leagues for African American players when they were not allowed to play in Major League Baseball.
Even though the Barons now play their home games at Regions Field in Birmingham, Rickwood Field is still special. It has been saved and is slowly being fixed up to be a "working museum." This means you can visit and experience baseball history there. The Barons even play one game each year at Rickwood Field to honor its past. Rickwood Field is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a very important historical site.
Contents
The Story of Rickwood Field
The Birmingham Coal Barons baseball team started playing professionally in 1887. Their first games were at a simple park called "Slag Pile Field." In 1901, they joined a league called the Southern Association.
Building a Baseball Dream
In 1909, a young businessman named Allen Harvey "Rick" Woodward bought most of the Birmingham Coal Barons team. He immediately wanted to build a fantastic new stadium for them. He asked famous baseball manager Connie Mack for advice on how to design it.
Woodward decided to use two famous stadiums, Shibe Park in Philadelphia and Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, as his models. He bought land in Birmingham and spent $75,000 to build the new park. The stadium was finished in the summer of 1910. It was named Rickwood Field, combining Rick's nickname and part of his last name. It was the first baseball stadium in the minor leagues made with concrete and steel.
Opening Day Excitement
Rickwood Field officially opened on August 18, 1910. Important people like Alabama Governor Braxton Bragg Comer and Birmingham Mayor Culpepper Exum were there. Many businesses in town closed early so fans could fill the park for the first game.
Over 10,000 people came to watch the Barons beat the Montgomery Climbers 3-2. For many years, Rickwood Field was packed with fans for both the Barons and the Black Barons. The Black Barons played their games on different weekends.
Changes and Challenges Over Time
Rickwood Field has seen many changes and challenges.
- In 1912, a spring tornado damaged the outfield fence.
- In 1914, electric fans were added to the stands to keep fans cool.
- The Pittsburgh Pirates even used Rickwood Field for their spring training in 1919.
Rickwood Field also hosted college football games. From 1912 to 1927, the Alabama Crimson Tide football team played some of their home games there.
More changes happened in the 1920s:
- In 1921, another tornado damaged the outfield fence, but it was quickly rebuilt.
- From 1924 to 1927, a steel roof was added over the infield bleachers.
- In 1928, a new entrance building with offices was built in a Mission style.
- A new concrete wall replaced the old outfield fence.
Famous Games and New Owners
In 1931, the Barons won the Dixie Series championship. A 43-year-old pitcher named Ray Caldwell helped them win against a young star pitcher named Dizzy Dean.
In 1936, tall steel light towers were put up. This allowed games to be played at night for the first time!
Over the years, Rickwood Field had several different owners:
- In 1938, Rick Woodward sold the park to Ed Norton.
- In 1940, the Cincinnati Reds bought it. New outfield fences were built to make the field smaller.
- In 1944, G. J. Jebeles bought the park.
- In 1948, a ladies' rest room was added, and the outfield fence was made even smaller.
- In 1949, a group of partners took over. They added a small restaurant and more seats, which moved the dugouts.
- In 1964, 1000 wooden seats from New York City's Polo Grounds were brought in and installed.
- In 1966, the City of Birmingham bought Rickwood Field.
The Birmingham A's and Return of the Barons
In 1967, the Kansas City Athletics' minor league team moved to Birmingham and played at Rickwood. They were called the "Birmingham A's." One memorable game that year was canceled because of a tornado, sending 14,000 fans home early!
Between 1979 and 1980, the old wooden seats were replaced with plastic seats and metal bleachers.
In 1981, minor league baseball returned to Rickwood with the Detroit Tigers' minor league team, which brought back the Barons name. A new electronic scoreboard was installed. In 1986, the Barons became a team for the Chicago White Sox, which is still true today.
In 1987, the Barons moved to a new stadium in Hoover. They came back to Birmingham in 2013 when Regions Field opened.
Rickwood Field Today
Since 1992, a group called the Friends of Rickwood has been taking care of the ballpark. They are working to bring it back to its original glory. They also host amateur, police, and semi-pro games. Visitors can even walk in and explore the stands or run the bases!
The Rickwood Classic
Since 1996, the Barons have played a special "throwback game" at Rickwood Field each year. Both teams wear old-fashioned uniforms from a different time in Birmingham baseball history. This game is called the "Rickwood Classic." Baseball fans from all over North America come to watch this game. Many people think it's the best way to experience a real baseball game in a historic park that still looks like it did long ago.
Rickwood in the Movies
Rickwood Field has been used as a filming location for several movies:
- Scenes from Cobb (1994) and Soul of the Game (1995) were filmed here. These movies helped bring back the old scoreboard, press box, and 1940s-style advertisements on the outfield fence. Some of these old-style ads are even sponsored by real Birmingham businesses today!
- In May 2012, parts of the movie 42, which is about baseball legend Jackie Robinson, were also filmed at Rickwood Field.
Future Plans
As of 2005, the Friends of Rickwood have spent about $2 million fixing up the grandstands, press box, locker rooms, roof, and main entrance. They also plan to create a Museum of Southern Baseball there in the future.
Since 2011, an event called "Play at the Plate Baseball" has held a three-day adult baseball tournament at Rickwood Field every June.
In 2006, ESPN Classic even broadcast a re-enactment of a Negro league game played at Rickwood. It featured teams wearing uniforms of the "Bristol Barnstormers" and the Birmingham Black Barons.
Images for kids
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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
