Hartford Ball Club Grounds
 | |
| Location | South corner of Wyllys Street and Hendricxsen Avenue |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 10,000 |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | May 1, 1874 |
| Closed | September 30, 1876 |
| Tenants | |
| Hartford Dark Blues (National League) (1874-1876) | |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2012) |
41°45′27″N 72°40′09″W / 41.757465°N 72.669252°W Hartford Ball Club Grounds was a baseball grounds in Hartford, Connecticut. It was home to the Hartford Dark Blues from 1874 to 1876, two years in the National Association and one in the National League.
The Hartford club remained in the League for 1877 but played its home games at Union Grounds in Brooklyn, New York, whose last professional tenant had gone out of business.
Contemporary maps show that the ballpark was bounded by Wyllys Street to the northwest and Hendricxsen Avenue to the northeast, with trees and residences along the south sides of the field. The stands were situated along Wyllys, and the diamond was set up with home plate pointing northwest. Across Hendricxsen to the northeast was the Church of the Good Shepherd, bounded by Van Block Avenue on its northeast side. In modern times, Hendricxsen ends at Masseek Street, well to the southeast, but the driveway from Wyllys into the church parking lot approximates the old Hendricxsen. The former ballpark site is a large lawn across from the church and the parking lot.
The Hartford Base Ball Grounds was marked with a memorial bronze plaque in July 2008. The effort was led by Ronald Bolin. In February 2009 the plaque was stolen. It was recovered in 2017 from a scrap yard in Massachusetts. No decision has been made on whether to place it back on the site.[1]
In June 2013, the bases were marked with commemorative granite slabs on their approximate original locations on the grounds field just in front of the Church of the Good Shepherd's Caldwell Colt Memorial. The tribute was created and financed made by The Friends of Vintage Base Ball.
Football[edit]
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 27, 1883 | Wesleyan | 8-19 | Harvard | - |
| November 1, 1884 | Wesleyan | 16-0 | Harvard | 500 |
References[edit]
- ^ Staff (August 1, 2017). "Piece of hardball history may return home". Meriden (CT) Record-Journal. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
- Retrosheet. "Park Directory"[permanent dead link]. Retrieved 2006-09-04.
External links[edit]
- Sports venues in Hartford, Connecticut
- Sports venues in Hartford County, Connecticut
- Baseball venues in Connecticut
- Defunct baseball venues in the United States
- Defunct sports venues in Connecticut
- Northeastern United States baseball venue stubs
- Connecticut building and structure stubs
- Connecticut sport stubs