Wahconah Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Wahconah Park

Address	105 Wahconah St. Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Coordinates	42°27′44″N 73°15′09″W / 42.462319°N 73.252582°W / 42.462319; -73.252582
Owner	City of Pittsfield
Capacity	3,500
Construction
Built	1919
Tenants
Pittsfield Electrics (Eastern Association) 1913–14 Pittsfield Hillies (Eastern League) 1919–30 Pittsfield Electrics (Canadian–American League) 1941–48 Pittsfield Indians (Canadian–American League) 1949–50 Pittsfield Phillies (Canadian–American League) 1951 Pittsfield Red Sox (Eastern League) 1965–69 Pittsfield Senators (Eastern League) 1970–71 Pittsfield Rangers (Eastern League) 1972–75 Berkshire Brewers (Eastern League) 1976 Pittsfield Cubs (Eastern League) 1985–88 Pittsfield Mets (NYPL) 1989–2000 Pittsfield Astros (NYPL) 2001 Berkshire Black Bears (Northeast League) 2002–2003 Pittsfield Dukes (NECBL) 2005–2008 Pittsfield American Defenders (NECBL) 2008–2009 Pittsfield Colonials (Can-Am League) 2010–2011 Pittsfield Suns (FCBL) 2012–2023
Wahconah Park
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Area	18.2 acres (7.4 ha)
Built	1892
Architect	Joseph McArthur Vance, David McNab Deans
Architectural style	shed-roof grandstand w/ wing
NRHP reference No.	05000878
Added to NRHP	August 12, 2005

Wahconah Park is a famous baseball park located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It's a really special place because it's one of the last baseball stadiums in the United States that still has a wooden grandstand. The park was built in 1919 and can hold about 4,500 people.

Over the years, many talented baseball players have played at Wahconah Park. More than 200 players who played here later went on to play in the Major Leagues. Also, 100 players who already had Major League experience played here.

In 2005, Wahconah Park was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as an important historical site. A famous sports writer, Daniel Okrent, even wrote an article in Sports Illustrated in 1990, calling the park "Baseball as it Oughta Be."

Since 2012, the park has been the home field for the Pittsfield Suns. They are a team in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. However, the Suns did not play in 2024 and will also not play in 2025 because of some safety problems at the park.

The exterior of Wahconah Park in 2019

Baseball Field Layout

The baseball field at Wahconah Park has changed its size over the years. Today, the distance from home plate to the left field line is 310 feet. It's 377 feet to left field, 374 feet to center field, and 403 feet to right-center field. The right field line is 305 feet long.

One unique thing about Wahconah Park is how the field faces. It's one of only two professional baseball parks in the U.S. that faces west. This means the sun can shine directly into the batters' eyes during sunset. Because of this, umpires sometimes pause games briefly until the sun goes down. Lights were not even installed at the park until 1946.

In 1927, a dike was built along the Housatonic River next to the park. This was done to stop the field from flooding when the river rose.

The sun shining onto the field at Wahconah Park

Park History

Wahconah Park has a long and interesting history with many different baseball teams. For example, the Pittsfield Mets were a minor-league team that played here from 1989 to 2000. They were connected to the New York Mets. After them, the Pittsfield Astros played for one year in 2001.

Later, an independent team called the Berkshire Black Bears played at the park in 2002 and 2003. They then moved to a different city.

A former baseball player named Jim Bouton tried to bring professional baseball back to the park. In 2004, he organized a special "vintage" baseball game at Wahconah Park. A huge crowd of 5,000 people came to watch, and the game was even shown live on ESPN Classic! Many famous people, including actor Tim Robbins, were there. Jim Bouton wanted to fix up the park without using public money, but his plans didn't work out.

In 2005, Dan Duquette, who used to be the General Manager for the Boston Red Sox, brought a college summer league team called the Pittsfield Dukes to Wahconah Park. The Dukes were part of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL). They were quite popular, attracting many fans to their games.

For the 2009 season, Dan Duquette changed the team's name to the Pittsfield American Defenders. They had a military theme. The park was even called Nokona Stadium at Wahconah Park for a while because of a sponsorship deal. This deal helped pay for new bathrooms, offices, and a press box. In 2010, the team changed again to the Pittsfield Colonials and played in the Can-Am League.

Current Use of the Park

Since 2012, Wahconah Park has been the home of the Pittsfield Suns. They are a team in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, which is a league for college baseball players. The Suns are partly owned by Marvin Goldklang, who also owned the Pittsfield Mets in the past.

Unfortunately, the Pittsfield Suns did not play their games in 2024. They also will not play in 2025. This is because there have been some safety concerns at Wahconah Park.

Besides baseball, Wahconah Park is also used for other fun events. In the summer, concerts are sometimes held there. It's also where high school football teams from the Pittsfield area play their varsity games.

Professional Teams at Wahconah Park

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Berkshire County, Massachusetts