Jump to content

Wilmington Park: Difference between revisions

Edit links
Coordinates: 39°45′07″N 75°31′30″W / 39.751981°N 75.525091°W / 39.751981; -75.525091
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Monkbot (talk | contribs)
Bots
3,694,069 edits
m Task 18 (cosmetic): eval 6 templates: del empty params (21×);
 
(13 intermediate revisions by 9 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Ballpark in Wilmington, Delaware}}
{{Infobox stadium
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name = Wilmington Park
| stadium_name = Wilmington Park
| nickname =
| nickname =
Line 24: Line 25:
| main_contractors =
| main_contractors =
| former_names =
| former_names =
| tenants = [[Wilmington Clippers]] ([[American Association (football)|AA]]) (1939–1941, 1946–1949)<br>[[Wilmington Blue Rocks (1940–1952)|Wilmington Blue Rocks]] ([[Interstate League|InL]]) (1940–1952) <br>[[Philadelphia Athletics]] ([[American League|AL]]) (spring training) (1943)<br> [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ([[National League|NL]]) (spring training) (1944–1945)<br>[[Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football|University of Delaware football]] (1940–1952)
| tenants = [[Wilmington Clippers]] ([[American Association (football)|AA]]) (1939–1941, 1946–1949)<br>[[Wilmington Blue Rocks (1940–1952)|Wilmington Blue Rocks]] ([[Interstate League|InL]]) (1940–1952) <br>[[Philadelphia Athletics]] ([[American League|AL]]) (spring training) (1943)<br> [[Philadelphia Phillies]] ([[National League (baseball)|NL]]) (spring training) (1944–1945)<br>[[Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football|University of Delaware football]] (1940–1952)
| seating_capacity = 7,000
| seating_capacity = 7,000
| dimensions =
| dimensions =
Line 31: Line 32:
'''Wilmington Park''' was a ballpark in [[Wilmington, Delaware]] that was located at the corner of 30th Street and Governor Printz Boulevard. It was home to the [[Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football|University of Delaware football team]] from 1940 to 1952 and the [[Wilmington Blue Rocks (1940–52)|Wilmington Blue Rocks]] of the Class B [[Interstate League]] from 1940 to 1952. The Blue Rocks were an affiliate of the [[Philadelphia Athletics]] from 1940 to 1943 and the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] from 1944 to 1952.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Ultimate Minor League Baseball Road Trip|last=Pahigian|first=Joshua|year=2007|publisher=The Lyons Press|isbn=978-1-59921-024-7|pages=69, 70 }}</ref>
'''Wilmington Park''' was a ballpark in [[Wilmington, Delaware]] that was located at the corner of 30th Street and Governor Printz Boulevard. It was home to the [[Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football|University of Delaware football team]] from 1940 to 1952 and the [[Wilmington Blue Rocks (1940–52)|Wilmington Blue Rocks]] of the Class B [[Interstate League]] from 1940 to 1952. The Blue Rocks were an affiliate of the [[Philadelphia Athletics]] from 1940 to 1943 and the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] from 1944 to 1952.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Ultimate Minor League Baseball Road Trip|last=Pahigian|first=Joshua|year=2007|publisher=The Lyons Press|isbn=978-1-59921-024-7|pages=69, 70 }}</ref>


==Teams==
==History==

⚫
The [[Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football|University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team]] played its home games at the park from 1940 until 1952. Delaware had played at [[Frazer Field]] in [[Newark, Delaware|Newark]] before moving to Wilmington Park midway through the 1940 season. Delaware played its first game at Wilmington Park on November 9, 1940 and beat [[Widener University|Pennsylvania Military College]] 14–7. While Delaware continued to play occasional games at Frazer Field through the 1946 season, the team played its home games at Wilmington Park until midway through the 1952 season. In their last game at the ballpark, Delaware beat Pennsylvania Military College, 43–20. Delaware finished the 1952 season at the brand-new [[Delaware Stadium]] which returned the team to Newark and the university campus.<ref>{{cite book |title=2008 University of Delaware Football Media Guide |publisher=University of Delaware Athletics Media Relations Office |location=Newark, Delaware |page=165 |url=http://www.bluehens.com/sportsinfo/football/2008mediaguide/results.pdf |accessdate=2009-09-03}}</ref>
Early in 1940, construction plans for the ballpark were announced.[Wilmington ''News-Journal'', Jan 23, 1940, p.20] The park was bounded by 30th Street (northeast, third base); Governor Printz Boulevard a.k.a. Northeast Boulevard (southeast, left field); 28th Street (southwest, right field); and Church Street and eventually Kerry Drive-In Theater (to the northwest, first base). Dimensions for left and right field were reported as {{convert|334|ft}} and {{convert|360|ft}} respectively.

The [[Wilmington Blue Rocks (1940–52)|Wilmington Blue Rocks]] minor league baseball team played at the ballpark from 1940 to 1952. They opened the park on May 1, 1940, with a 3-1 victory over Trenton, in front of 7,000 fans.[Wilmington ''Morning News'', May 2, 1940, p.17]

⚫
The Blue Rocks established a Class B attendance record in 1940 with 145,643 attending ballgames at Wilmington Park. The club topped that mark with 172,531 fans in 1944. The single game attendance record for the Blue Rocks was set in 1947 when 7,062 fans saw [[Curt Simmons]]’ Wilmington debut. Attendance in 1950 dropped to 38,678, and despite a slight improvement to 43,135 in 1951, attendance continued to decline in 1952, the last for the Blue Rocks at the ballpark.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Great Delaware Sports Book|year=1995|publisher=Manatee Press|location=Montchanin, Delaware |isbn=0-9644427-0-1|pages=91–93 }}</ref>


During World War II, in January 1943, [[Commissioner of Baseball (MLB)|Major League Baseball Commissioner]] [[Kenesaw Mountain Landis]] ordered most Major League clubs to hold spring training north of the [[Ohio River|Ohio]] and [[Potomac River|Potomac]] rivers to comply with government requests to help the war effort by eliminating nonessential travel. The [[Philadelphia Athletics]] held spring training at Wilmington Park in 1943 and the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] at the park in 1944 and 1945.<ref>{{cite book |title=Baseball Goes to War|last=Mead |first=William B. |year=1998 |publisher=Broadcast Interview Source, Inc.|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=0-934333-38-6 |pages=73–74 }}</ref>
During World War II, in January 1943, [[Commissioner of Baseball (MLB)|Major League Baseball Commissioner]] [[Kenesaw Mountain Landis]] ordered most Major League clubs to hold spring training north of the [[Ohio River|Ohio]] and [[Potomac River|Potomac]] rivers to comply with government requests to help the war effort by eliminating nonessential travel. The [[Philadelphia Athletics]] held spring training at Wilmington Park in 1943 and the [[Philadelphia Phillies]] at the park in 1944 and 1945.<ref>{{cite book |title=Baseball Goes to War|last=Mead |first=William B. |year=1998 |publisher=Broadcast Interview Source, Inc.|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=0-934333-38-6 |pages=73–74 }}</ref>


In addition to World War II-spring training games at Wilmington Park, the Phillies played occasional exhibition games at the ballpark including games against the Blue Rocks. The Phillies and Athletics had long played pre-season exhibition games against each other in the Philadelphia [[City Series (Philadelphia)|City Series]]. The A's moved to [[Municipal Stadium (Kansas City)|Kansas City]] prior to the [[1955 Kansas City Athletics season|1955 season]] but returned to the Philadelphia-area for a final match-up prior to 1955 Opening Day. They played the 1955 series at Wilmington where the A's beat the Phillies 9–6 on April 9, 1955 and 10–2 on April 10, 1955.<ref>{{cite book |title=Kansas City Athletics: A Baseball History, 1954-1967|last=Peterson|first=John E.|year=2003 |publisher=McFarland|isbn=0-7864-1610-6|page=52 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zJUCG0b0K9YC&q=Phillies+Athletics+city+series&pg=PA52|accessdate=2009-05-22 }}</ref>
In addition to World War II-spring training games at Wilmington Park, the Phillies played occasional exhibition games at the ballpark including games against the Blue Rocks. The Phillies and Athletics had long played pre-season exhibition games against each other in the Philadelphia [[City Series (Philadelphia)|City Series]]. The A's moved to [[Municipal Stadium (Kansas City)|Kansas City]] prior to the [[1955 Kansas City Athletics season|1955 season]] but returned to the Philadelphia-area for a final match-up prior to 1955 Opening Day. They played the 1955 series at Wilmington where the A's beat the Phillies 9–6 on April 9, 1955, and 10–2 on April 10, 1955.<ref>{{cite book |title=Kansas City Athletics: A Baseball History, 1954-1967|last=Peterson|first=John E.|year=2003 |publisher=McFarland|isbn=0-7864-1610-6|page=52 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zJUCG0b0K9YC&q=Phillies+Athletics+city+series&pg=PA52|access-date=2009-05-22 }}</ref>

5,907 fans watched the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees play a preseason exhibition game on April 10, 1941.


The [[Philadelphia Stars (baseball)|Philadelphia Stars]] Negro League baseball team hosted the [[Newark Eagles]] at the ballpark on Memorial Day in 1945.<ref>{{cite news |title=Philadelphia Stars To Play Here Monday|newspaper=The Sunday Morning Star|date=1945-05-27|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UdAmAAAAIBAJ&pg=3259,4056675&dq=philadelphia-stars&hl=en|page=25}}</ref>
The [[Philadelphia Stars (baseball)|Philadelphia Stars]] Negro league baseball team hosted the [[Newark Eagles]] at the ballpark on Memorial Day in 1945.<ref>{{cite news |title=Philadelphia Stars To Play Here Monday|newspaper=The Sunday Morning Star|date=1945-05-27|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UdAmAAAAIBAJ&pg=3259,4056675&dq=philadelphia-stars&hl=en|page=25}}</ref>


⚫
The [[Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football|University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team]] played its home games at the park from 1940 until 1952. Delaware had played at [[Frazer Field]] in [[Newark, Delaware|Newark]] before moving to Wilmington Park midway through the 1940 season. Delaware played its first game at Wilmington Park on November 9, 1940, and beat [[Widener University|Pennsylvania Military College]] 14–7. While Delaware continued to play occasional games at Frazer Field through the 1946 season, the team played its home games at Wilmington Park until midway through the 1952 season. In their last game at the ballpark, Delaware beat Pennsylvania Military College, 43–20. Delaware finished the 1952 season at the brand-new [[Delaware Stadium]] which returned the team to Newark and the university campus.<ref>{{cite book |title=2008 University of Delaware Football Media Guide |publisher=University of Delaware Athletics Media Relations Office |location=Newark, Delaware |page=165 |url=http://www.bluehens.com/sportsinfo/football/2008mediaguide/results.pdf |access-date=2009-09-03}}</ref>
==Attendance==


With the primary tenants gone after 1952, debate about what to do with the park was a perennial topic for about the next decade. The property was finally sold in February, 1962. Later in the year, Wilmington Park and the Drive-In were both demolished to make room for a shopping center.
⚫
7,000 fans attended the Blue Rocks’ first game at the ballpark in 1940 and the club established a Class B attendance record in 1940 with 145,643 attending ballgames at Wilmington Park. The club topped that mark with 172,531 fans in 1944. The single game attendance record for the Blue Rocks was set in 1947 when 7,062 fans saw [[Curt Simmons]]’ Wilmington debut. But attendance in 1950 dropped to 38,678, and despite a slight improvement to 43,135 in 1951, attendance continued to sink in 1952 which proved to be the last for the Blue Rocks at the ballpark.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Great Delaware Sports Book|year=1995|publisher=Manatee Press|location=Montchanin, Delaware |isbn=0-9644427-0-1|pages=91–93 }}</ref>


==References==
==References==
Line 50: Line 58:
*[http://home.comcast.net/~jduffy/baseball/ Wilmington Baseball History]
*[http://home.comcast.net/~jduffy/baseball/ Wilmington Baseball History]


{{Wilmington Clippers}}
{{Philadelphia Phillies}}
{{Philadelphia Phillies}}
{{Oakland Athletics}}
{{Oakland Athletics}}
Line 57: Line 66:
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilmington Park}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilmington Park}}
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1940]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1940]]
[[Category:College football venues]]
[[Category:Defunct college football venues]]
[[Category:Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football]]
[[Category:Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Athletics spring training venues]]
[[Category:Philadelphia Athletics spring training venues]]
Line 69: Line 78:
[[Category:1940 establishments in Delaware]]
[[Category:1940 establishments in Delaware]]
[[Category:1963 disestablishments in Delaware]]
[[Category:1963 disestablishments in Delaware]]
[[Category:Sports venues destroyed in 1963]]
[[Category:Wilmington Clippers]]

Latest revision as of 07:59, 7 November 2024

Wilmington Park
Map
LocationGovernor Printz Blvd & E 30th St
Wilmington, DE 19802
Capacity7,000
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke ground1939
OpenedMay 1, 1940
Demolished1963
Construction cost$185,000
Tenants
Wilmington Clippers (AA) (1939–1941, 1946–1949)
Wilmington Blue Rocks (InL) (1940–1952)
Philadelphia Athletics (AL) (spring training) (1943)
Philadelphia Phillies (NL) (spring training) (1944–1945)
University of Delaware football (1940–1952)

Wilmington Park was a ballpark in Wilmington, Delaware that was located at the corner of 30th Street and Governor Printz Boulevard. It was home to the University of Delaware football team from 1940 to 1952 and the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Class B Interstate League from 1940 to 1952. The Blue Rocks were an affiliate of the Philadelphia Athletics from 1940 to 1943 and the Philadelphia Phillies from 1944 to 1952.[1]

History

[edit]

Early in 1940, construction plans for the ballpark were announced.[Wilmington News-Journal, Jan 23, 1940, p.20] The park was bounded by 30th Street (northeast, third base); Governor Printz Boulevard a.k.a. Northeast Boulevard (southeast, left field); 28th Street (southwest, right field); and Church Street and eventually Kerry Drive-In Theater (to the northwest, first base). Dimensions for left and right field were reported as 334 feet (102 m) and 360 feet (110 m) respectively.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks minor league baseball team played at the ballpark from 1940 to 1952. They opened the park on May 1, 1940, with a 3-1 victory over Trenton, in front of 7,000 fans.[Wilmington Morning News, May 2, 1940, p.17]

The Blue Rocks established a Class B attendance record in 1940 with 145,643 attending ballgames at Wilmington Park. The club topped that mark with 172,531 fans in 1944. The single game attendance record for the Blue Rocks was set in 1947 when 7,062 fans saw Curt Simmons’ Wilmington debut. Attendance in 1950 dropped to 38,678, and despite a slight improvement to 43,135 in 1951, attendance continued to decline in 1952, the last for the Blue Rocks at the ballpark.[2]

During World War II, in January 1943, Major League Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis ordered most Major League clubs to hold spring training north of the Ohio and Potomac rivers to comply with government requests to help the war effort by eliminating nonessential travel. The Philadelphia Athletics held spring training at Wilmington Park in 1943 and the Philadelphia Phillies at the park in 1944 and 1945.[3]

In addition to World War II-spring training games at Wilmington Park, the Phillies played occasional exhibition games at the ballpark including games against the Blue Rocks. The Phillies and Athletics had long played pre-season exhibition games against each other in the Philadelphia City Series. The A's moved to Kansas City prior to the 1955 season but returned to the Philadelphia-area for a final match-up prior to 1955 Opening Day. They played the 1955 series at Wilmington where the A's beat the Phillies 9–6 on April 9, 1955, and 10–2 on April 10, 1955.[4]

5,907 fans watched the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees play a preseason exhibition game on April 10, 1941.

The Philadelphia Stars Negro league baseball team hosted the Newark Eagles at the ballpark on Memorial Day in 1945.[5]

The University of Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team played its home games at the park from 1940 until 1952. Delaware had played at Frazer Field in Newark before moving to Wilmington Park midway through the 1940 season. Delaware played its first game at Wilmington Park on November 9, 1940, and beat Pennsylvania Military College 14–7. While Delaware continued to play occasional games at Frazer Field through the 1946 season, the team played its home games at Wilmington Park until midway through the 1952 season. In their last game at the ballpark, Delaware beat Pennsylvania Military College, 43–20. Delaware finished the 1952 season at the brand-new Delaware Stadium which returned the team to Newark and the university campus.[6]

With the primary tenants gone after 1952, debate about what to do with the park was a perennial topic for about the next decade. The property was finally sold in February, 1962. Later in the year, Wilmington Park and the Drive-In were both demolished to make room for a shopping center.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Pahigian, Joshua (2007). The Ultimate Minor League Baseball Road Trip. The Lyons Press. pp. 69, 70. ISBN 978-1-59921-024-7.
  2. ^ The Great Delaware Sports Book. Montchanin, Delaware: Manatee Press. 1995. pp. 91–93. ISBN 0-9644427-0-1.
  3. ^ Mead, William B. (1998). Baseball Goes to War. Washington, D.C.: Broadcast Interview Source, Inc. pp. 73–74. ISBN 0-934333-38-6.
  4. ^ Peterson, John E. (2003). Kansas City Athletics: A Baseball History, 1954-1967. McFarland. p. 52. ISBN 0-7864-1610-6. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
  5. ^ "Philadelphia Stars To Play Here Monday". The Sunday Morning Star. 1945-05-27. p. 25.
  6. ^ 2008 University of Delaware Football Media Guide (PDF). Newark, Delaware: University of Delaware Athletics Media Relations Office. p. 165. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
[edit]

39°45′07″N 75°31′30″W / 39.751981°N 75.525091°W / 39.751981; -75.525091

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wilmington_Park&oldid=1255918185"