Wearn Field
 Wearn Field, 1929 Sanborn Insurance Map | |
| Former names | Hayman Park |
|---|---|
| Location | S Graham St & Winona St,Charlotte, North Carolina28203 |
| Owner | J.H. Wearn |
| Field size | Left Field– ft Center Field– ft Right Field– ft |
| Surface | Grass |
| Opened | 1912 |
| Closed | 1940 |
| Tenants | |
| Charlotte Hornets(1912-1940)
Buffalo Bisons(IL) (spring training) (1913) Philadelphia Phillies(NL) (spring training) (1919) Syracuse Chiefs(IL) (spring training) (1935, 1937) | |
Wearn Fieldwas a ballpark located inCharlotte, North Carolinaand home to amateur and professional baseball in Charlotte from 1912[1]to 1940. Wearn Field was built and owned by Hornets club owner J. H. Wearn[2]alongside his lumber mill. Home plate was at the corner of South Graham and Winona Streets; the right field corner was at South Graham and Commerce.[3]
Wearn Field was home to theCharlotte Hornetsminor-league baseball team, the Charlotte Red Sox negro league team, and was the spring training home of theBuffalo Bisonsin 1913, the Philadelphia Phillies in 1919, and theSyracuse Chiefsin 1935 and 1937.[4]
History
[edit]The Charlotte Red Sox negro league club attracted many fans from the area. On Labor Day 1918, the team hosted a fundraiser where they played against Camp Greene’s Black soldiers at Wearn Field and the proceeds donated to support the soldiers.[5]
In April 1926, Babe Ruth led the Yankees to a win over the Brooklyn Dodgers in a preseason exhibition game before 4,000 fans at Wearn Field.[6][7]
The first integrated baseball game in Charlotte was played at Wearn Field on July 8, 1933 when Highland Park, a white mill team, beat the North Charlotte Black Yankees. Contemporary news accounts differ on the game’s winner.[8]
The Charlotte Hornets were purchased by the Washington Senators in 1937. In 1940, the Senators'sCalvin Griffithconstructed a new 3,200-seat ballpark in Charlotte's Dilworth neighborhood on Magnolia Avenue, naming itClark Griffith Park.The Hornets played their last season at Wearn Field in 1940 before moving to Clark Griffth Park in 1941.
In March 2014, theCharlotte Knightsunveiled four murals at itsTruist Fieldalong the S Graham Street side to commemorate the former Charlotte-area homes of professional baseball including Wearn Field.[9]
References
[edit]- ^"Several Games Scheduled For The New Hornets".The Evening Chronicle.Charlotte, North Carolina. April 5, 1912. p. 6.Retrieved2023-04-03.
- ^Perry, Maria (March 14, 2015)."Wearn Field".Lost Charlotte: The Queen City of the South’s Past Revisited.MariaPerry1.Retrieved2022-11-24.
- ^Norman, Charles (December 28, 2021)."The Semi-Pro: The Baseball Life of Walter Ancker (Chapter Two)".ReverbRaccoon.com.Charles Norman.RetrievedFebruary 27,2023.
- ^Pomrenke, Jacob (April 5, 2011).SABR Spring Training Database: Sorted by host city(PDF).Society for American Baseball Research. p. 29.
- ^Webb, Michael Turner (June 1, 2021)."The forgotten history of Black baseball in Charlotte".CLTure.com.CLTre.Retrieved2022-11-25.
- ^Wade, Jake (April 9, 1926). "Good Time Had By All As Babe And Ben Deliver".Charlotte Observer.Charlotte, North Carolina. p. 15.
- ^Powell, Lew (April 8, 2010)."Babe Ruth pays memorable visit to Charlotte".blogs.lib.unc.edu.NC Miscellany.Retrieved2022-11-24.
- ^Powell, Lew (July 8, 2012)."Interracial baseball: Official game, but questionable score".blogs.lib.unc.edu.NC Miscellany.Retrieved2022-11-24.
- ^"Knights Pay Tribute to Charlotte Baseball Past, Present & Future".milb.com.MLB Advanced Media. March 27, 2014.Retrieved2022-11-25.
External links
[edit]- "Wearn Field".statscrew.com.Stats Crew. 2022.Retrieved2022-11-25.
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