What U.S. city claims to house America's oldest baseball park?

Birmingham, Alabama’s Rickwood Field, which is over a 100 years old, has the distinction of being America’s oldest professional baseball stadium. It was the home of both Birmingham’s Barons and the Black Barons of the Negro Leagues. It has essentially stood empty since the days of the Barons. It opened in 1910.

Remembering back in time, Cobb played at Rickwood, as did Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. Satchell Paige graced the mound. Willie Mays began his career as a Black Baron. As an Oakland (then Kansas City) A’s minor leaguer posted to Birmingham, Reggie Jackson belted balls, it seemed, to Oakland. And, on barnstorming tours or stopovers to and from spring training, many more Hall of the Fame members dug spikes into Rickwood’s diamond.

Subsequently, a group of young professionals decided to restore Rickwood to its heyday. They got to work; they raised about 2 million dollars. They restored the majestic stadium and opened it to visitors. Rickwood Field is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. USA Today has listed it among its “10 Great Places for a Baseball Pilgrimage.” ESPN recently ranked the Rickwood Classic among “101 Things All Sports Fans Must Experience Before They Die.”

But, notwithstanding its good fortune, Rickwood Field still needs help to restore its grandstands at a cost ranging from 1 million to 4 million dollars.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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52 Comments

Audrey Thorson

The question did not refer to professional baseball.

punkinsmon

Audrey Thorson is right, it does NOT say professional baseball!!!!!!!!!

Vicki Burke

It didn't specify professional baseball.

S Dale Baugh

Admin, please make sure the questions DO lead to the right answer.

Eric Leif Peters

"Guinness World Records lists 1878 Fuller Field, in Clinton, Mass. (pop. 13,606), as the oldest baseball field in continuous use. “It’s the only baseball diamond in the world where you can run the original bases of the players of that era,” says A.J. Bastarache, 53, of Quincy, Mass., who wrote a book about Clinton’s history. When Fuller Field opened, Clinton had a professional ball team. Today, the semi-professional Irish Blizzards, high school teams, local baseball leagues and vintage baseball teams continue to use the field." https://americanprofile.com/articles/vintage-ballparks-across-america/

kerazymike

Fenway Park opened in1912. That should be the oldest .

damitman

And people do not know about Camden,NJ

Gerald Woerner

Had the question specified "professional" I'm sure all the complainers would have gotten it correctly.

hdfernandez

Missed it

atranakos

Someone at quizz club should review the Q&A to verify that the Question is correct. The Birmingham park was a professional park. Where does it ask that? The Cooperstown is older but not professional.

Robert L Mcgraw

Not a fair question the way it is worded. Leaving out "professional" is more than just an "OOPS!"

Rick Marrs

Trick question

Ronald R Andrews

Cooperstown claims to have the field where Abner Doubleday invented the sport. The claim is almost certainly bogus, but they still claim it. The answer says, "Birmingham, Alabama’s Rickwood Field, which is over a 100 years old, has the distinction of being America’s oldest professional baseball stadium." The question didn't mention a professional ball park.

Bill Boyd

Poorly worded, question needs to specify oldest 'active' professional stadium, since it hosts one commemorative game annually.

James Clausen

Elysian Fields Year Opened: 1845 Location: Hoboken, New Jersey Home Team(s): Knickerbocker Club of New York; New York Mutuals; and New York Metropolitans Still in Use: No – closed sometime in the 1880s Elysian Fields is believed to be the birthplace of baseball as the first officially recorded, organized baseball game was played there on June 19, 1846. The game used Alexander Joy Cartwright’s rules and was played between the New York Base Ball Club and the Knickerbockers.