19th Century St. Louis Baseball Grounds
by Jeffrey Kittel
Sportsman's Park in 1892
I put together this list of 19th century St. Louis baseball grounds about five years ago with some help from my friend Steve Pona. I've found it to be a useful resource and figured I might as well share it with all of you. It probably needs to be updated to reflect current research but, on the whole, it's not a bad list.
All grounds/parks were mentioned by Edmund Tobias in his letters to The Sporting News (Oct 1895-Feb 1896) unless otherwise noted. This list can in no sense be considered comprehensive but it certainly contains all the places where important baseball games were held in St. Louis during the 19th century.
Gamble Lawn (Gamble Avenue and West Twentieth Street)-“It had long been used as a cricket ground and upon it the Empire Club laid the first claims, being shortly followed by several others. Upon this ground was played most all of the earliest match games.” I’ve verified that the Gamble Lawn was used as both a cricket ground and for baseball during the antebellum era.
Carr Place-“Carr Place was early used by the Morning Star Club and the next ground to become known as a base ball resort was nearly two blocks in extent on the west side of Ham Street, just south of Chouteau Avenue… (here) played the Union and Commercial Clubs in their first start out, but being small in dimension the ground was used almost solely for practice…” Al Spink, in The National Game, writes about early baseball games being played “on the ground now occupied by Carr Square Park.” Carr Park was most likely used by the Morning Stars due to the fact that most of the members lived within three blocks of it.
Lafayette Park- “…it was but a short time until (the Unions and Commercials) obtained permission from the city council to use a certain portion of Lafayette Park providing they would arrange and maintain the grounds at their own expense. This was done at an outlay of several hundred dollars by each club, but they enjoyed the benefit of the grounds for only a brief period as the war of the Rebellion had broken out, soldiers were being recruited and the military powers seized upon it as a fitting spot for an encampment.”
“In the early days in St. Louis my most intimate young men friends were John Riggin, Louis Hutchinson, John Stetinius and Paul Prewett, all “high rollers,” except myself. We belonged to the St. Louis Cyclone Base Ball Company in 1860. We leased what is now Lafayette Park. At that time, it was surrounded by an osage orange hedge. We spent $600 to put the grounds in shape.” Leonard Matthews A Long Life In Review
The father of Ed Bredell, the co-founder of the Cyclone Club, was a member of the Board of Improvements for the park, seeking outside monies for park improvements. He may have offered the club the use of the park if they would put together funds to “put the grounds in shape.” Also, I believe that the Bredell’s owned a house across the street from the park.
Allen’s Commons-“…so the boys went hunting for a new location (after the military seized Lafayette Park) and succeeded in finding one on Mississippi Avenue, south of Lafayette Park, on a large commons owned by Hon. Thos. Allen, who granted permission for the clubs to use the grounds free of all charges. Many ‘interesting and exciting’ games were played upon this ground; the most notable ones being a series between the Union and Empire Clubs.
The Old Cemetery Grounds-“One of the first match games of base ball played West of the Allegheny Mountains between rival clubs was between the Empire and Morning Star clubs of (St. Louis) early in the spring of ’61, and it was played on grounds adjoining the old cemetery, then located where now is the junction of Franklin Avenues, Wash and Twenty-eight Streets.”
The Fair Grounds-“One of the earliest match games played was between the Cyclone and Morning Star Clubs on grounds just back of where now stands the amphitheatre in the Fair Grounds…”
“The First Base Ball Match In St. Louis-The first regular game of base ball played in our city will come off between the members of the ‘Cyclone’ and ‘Morning Star’ Base Ball Clubs, on Monday, the 9th inst., at 4 o’clock, P.M., in the field immediately west of the Fair Grounds.” Notice played by Merritt Griswold in July 1860 in Daily Missouri Democrat
Note: Matches were held west of the Fair Grounds as late as 1868 so we can say that baseball was played at the Fair Grounds from 1860 until at least 1868.
The Laclede Grounds-“The Laclede was the name of an early club made up from master mechanics who played on a lot one block north of Easton Avenue between Jefferson and Garrison.”
The Ham Street Grounds-“The day before Gen’l (Frederick) Benteen (of the Cyclone Club) left St. Louis to join the army he lost a fine seal ring while playing a practice game early in the morning on the Ham street grounds.”
The Union Grounds-“On the 22nd of May (1867) the Union Club inaugurated its new grounds on Grand, south of Page avenue (near Franklin ave.), opposite where now stands the Rock Church by an exhibition game. These were the first enclosed grounds in St. Louis to which admission was charged…On the East side of the grounds near the Grand avenue entrance were located covered seats for ladies and their escorts, while on the south side were those designed for men and boys who had no objection to a sun bath.” Note: Very significant. The creation of enclosed grounds and the charging of admission is an important step forward in the evolution of the game in St. Louis and speaks to the forward thinking of Asa Smith, president of the Union Club, and his desire to bring St. Louis into the baseball mainstream. It also is an indication that the Unions, by 1867, was not a amateur club in our sense of the word. Enclosed grounds and admission charges usually meant that players were getting compensated in some form. Almost all sources state that the baseball clubs in StL were amateurs until 1875 but it’s likely that clubs like the Unions and Empires were compensating their players in some form as early as 1867. This also would fit with Smith as a visionary who wanted to bring the “modern” game to StL.
Also, I should add that the Rock Church is St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church and is located at 1118 N. Grand.
The Veto Grounds-“The Unions having challenged the Empires for a championship series of three games, the first was scheduled for June 26 (1867), on the Veto grounds, afterwards known as the Compton Avenue Park, and located immediately adjoining the Pacific R.R. Machine Shops.”
“In 1866 the play ground (of the Empire Club) was changed to near the Pacific Railroad machine shop…” Al Spink The National Game
The Grand Avenue Grounds-“The subject matter of providing a permanent habitation and home for the Empire Club had long been under consideration by leading members of the club and early in this season (of 1868) assumed a tangible form by the appointment of a committee to select suitable grounds. They reported favorably upon what became known as the St. Louis Base Ball Park, the property being then a cornfield and owned by John Dunn. At the same time the Union Club, having become dissatisfied with their own grounds further South on Grand Avenue and opposite where now stands the Rock Church, also discovered the availability of the tract selected by the Empire committee. The main recommendation of this ground was its near proximity to the Fair Grounds which was then the objective point of several street car lines built and to be built. August Solari, a member of the Empire Club, secured a five-year lease of this property and entered into an agreement with the Union Club whereby upon the payment of a small rental and giving him the lumber contained in their old grounds for use in the erection of grandstands, fencing, etc., in the new park, Solari was obligated to provide necessary accommodations, keep the grounds in good order, the Union Club to have the exclusive right to use of the park on certain days. The Empire Club rented from Solari two days in each week, one being Sunday. It was in the foregoing manner that old Sportsman’s Park, as it was known eventually, became the main base ball center of the city and for several years thereafter it remained so…The first game on the new grounds was played Saturday, May 3, 1868, between the first and second nines of the Union Club and next came the first regular match of the Empire Club for this season…on May 21 with the Commercial Club, resulting in a score (unintelligible) in favor of the Empires.”
Note: The Grand Avenue Grounds was the scene of most of the major baseball matches in StL between its creation and 1874. As home to both the Empires and Unions, “the base ball park,” as it was commonly referred to, would see uncountable championship matches as well as all of the most important baseball visitors to StL. It would also serve as the home of the Brown Stockings from 1875 to 1877 when they played in the NA and NL (when it would be the scene of the first NL game played in StL). After the collapse of the Brown Stockings following the 1877 season, the park would fall into disrepair until it was rebuilt by Sportsman’s Park and Club Association in 1881.
“The former Grand Avenue Park had long since fallen into disuse. Remote from St. Louis proper, the unpaved roads to the park were too bumpy for travel by carriage. With monies from the Sportsman’s Park Club and Association, the rotten bleachers were replaced with a double-decker grandstand and bleachers. Capacity was 8,000, including comfortable chairs for ladies and a special section dedicated exclusively to the ‘howling’ element of fandom.” J. Thomas Hetrick Chris Von der Ahe and the St. Louis Browns
Note: The park would be home to the Browns until they moved to New Sportsman’s Park in 1892. The AL Browns would build the “modern” Sportsman’s Park on the grounds in 1902 and the grounds would be the scene of professional baseball until 1965.
The Abbey Race Track Grounds-“The Atlantic Club having established itself on new grounds at the Abbey race track played an inaugural game on Sept. 14 (1870) with the Empire Club, defeating the latter 25 to 19. The grounds were not in suitable condition but one prior game having been played upon it.
The Wash Home Grounds-“…on June 1 (1873)…the Niagaras played the Hermans…on the Wash Home grounds…”
The Rivals Grounds-“The Red Sox defeated the Rivals on June 1 (1873) by a score of 47 to 5…on the Rivals grounds…”
The Lone Star Grounds-“…(on July 20, 1873) the Red Stocking and Rival Clubs played on the old Lone Star grounds back of Lafayette Park…” Al Spink, in The National Game, mentions a grounds just south of Lafayette Park where the Rowenas and Vanities played; this is probably the same grounds.
Red Stocking Park-also known as the Compton Avenue Park, built in 1874 by Thomas McNeary on the site of the old Veto grounds; “On May 24 (1874) the Empires and Red Stockings opened on their series of championship games at Red Stocking park.” Was the site of the first game between two “professional” clubs on May 4, 1875 when the Reds took on the Browns in the first National Association contest in StL. Of course, the evidence suggests that there were professional teams in StL prior to this and the first game between two professional teams in StL probably took place in the late 1860’s. Baseball was played at the Compton Avenue Park until it was torn down in the 1890’s.
There is substantial evidence that the Compton Avenue Park was the major site of black baseball in the 1870s and 1880s. While there were some games played by black clubs at the Grand Avenue Park, the vast majority of games that I’m aware of were played at Compton Avenue.
Stocks Park-“The Stocks, as their name implies, was made up of livestock men, most of them residing in ‘Butcher Town’ north of Easton and west of Vandeventer avenue. Their grounds were located between (unintelligible).” I’m unable to read the Tobias text at this point and establish the location of the Stocks Grounds although one would assume that it was located somewhere around Vandeventer, near the site of what would become New Sportsman’s Park. Al Spink, in The National Game, mentions that the Stocks Grounds was located “just off Easton, near Vandeventer avenue” which, naturally enough (since Spink owned and edited TSN) seems taken directly from the Tobais material. Spink writes: “In 1875 William L. Cassidy, Josh Rothschild and other baseball enthusiasts and livestock dealers built the Stocks Park which was located near the car sheds in the vicinity of Easton and Vandeventer avenues.”
The Elephant and Saw Log Grounds-“The Elephant and ‘Saw Log’ Grounds on the river front, open field east of Broadway and north of North Market street, where the Elephant and ‘Saw Log’ teams played their games in the early seventies.” Al Spink, The National Game
Note: The Elephant club didn’t become prominent until around 1874/5 so Spink might be a bit off with his dates here.
Kensington Garden Grounds-“The game (between the Home Comforts and the Sultan Bitters) was played (in 1889) on the Kensington Garden grounds and the Comforts were the winners by a score of 3 to 2.” Al Spink The National Game
Spink mentions that the grounds were located at “Union and Page avenues.”
The St. Louis Amateur Grounds-mentioned by Spink as being located at “Missouri and Russell avenues” and, along with the Kensington Garden Grounds, as the site of games between teams in the St. Louis Baseball League in 1889
The Union Grounds-“(Henry Lucas) built Lucas Park on his own land, with a capacity for 10,000 fans. Lucas believed in comfort and aesthetics. Features included a huge grandstand, upholstered folding opera chairs, and leisure facilities. Patrons entering were serenaded by a cage full of canaries. With such amenities, the park was dubbed ‘The Palace Park of America.’ Fans weren’t the only pampered guests. The grounds housed a dressing room and reception area. One room was for reading and lectures. Another was designed for hygiene. The washroom had no less than nine bathtubs. For the fifty-six-game (1884) home schedule (of the Maroons), ball cranks could purchase a reserved season ticket for $22. Bleacher season tickets sold for $11.00.” J. Thomas Hetrick Chris Von der Ahe and the St. Louis Browns
New Sportsmans Park-“The New Sportsman’s Park, built in 1893 at the corner of Vandeventer Avenue and Natural Bridge Road, was one of (Chris) Von der Ahe’s many risky real-estate ventures. On April 16, 1898, a disastrous fire virtually destroyed the ballpark. Von der Ahe sank his dwindling cash reserve into rebuilding it…” Jon David Cash Before They Were Cardinals
“The Coney Island of the West,” as it was dubbed, was a forerunner of the modern day sport complex with its racetrack, bicycle track, water ride, etc coupled to the attraction of the baseball game. After the fire, it was quickly rebuilt and no games were cancelled. However, it was rebuilt on a less grand scale and was little more than a simple ballpark. Would be renamed Robison Field after the Robison brothers acquired the Browns early in 1899. The soon-to-be renamed Cardinals would continue to play at the ballpark until (if memory serves) 1920.
Some General Thoughts
Al Spink, in The National Game, wrote that “(up) to that time (1860) indeed games were played on the prairie in North, South and West St. Louis by the boys of the town, who gave no heed to club organization or anything of that sort.” Spink’s observation is extremely relevant to any discussion of the growth of the game in St. Louis and the number of places where the game was played in the city. The growth of the game and where the game was played is intertwined in such a way that the latter propelled the former.
In But Didn’t We Have Fun?, Peter Morris speaks to the connection between the growth of the game and the availability of land upon which the game could be played. For the game to thrive, there had to be, obviously, land which could be used as a baseball field but also land that was accessible to both players and spectators. At the same time, the field could not be located in a downtown urban environment where flying baseballs and running athletes might do damage to windows, passer-bys, and the like.
St. Louis, unlike almost any Eastern city, had an abundance of open land easily accessible to its citizens. In 1860, as the game began to take off, St. Louis had been settled for less then one hundred years. It was a small town that, for the most part, still hugged the river and didn’t stretch more than a handful of blocks west. As Spink noted, to the north, west, and south of the city was an abundant amount of open land that, upon the founding of the city, was designated as common farm land. While the commons were eventually swallowed up by the growth of St. Louis, in the 1860’s and 1870’s this area was just outside of the city proper, cleared for agricultural purposes, and easily accessible to those living in the city itself.
An example of the nature of the area can be seen in the Camp Jackson affair. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the pro-Confederate Missouri State Militia was sent by Gov. Jackson to St. Louis. Without delving into the details of the affair, the militia camped just outside of the city of St. Louis in a location that was quickly named Camp Jackson. In pictures of Camp Jackson taken at the time, the area appears to be a wide-open prairie with sparse groupings of trees here and there. The significance of this to the history of baseball in St. Louis is that the area where the Militia camped would after the Civil War become the Veto Grounds and eventually the Compton Avenue Park.
The St. Louis commons were perfect for playing baseball. Open and accessible, they gave the baseball fraternity in the city a variety of places to play. On can see that the location of most of the known 19th century baseball grounds in St. Louis were located in areas that had formally been part of the commons. The Grand Avenue Grounds in the north, the Veto Grounds in the west, the Lone Star Grounds in the south-all were built in areas that had only recently been farmland and was only just beginning, in the post-Civil War era, to be developed.
The availability of open land just outside the city of St. Louis and easily accusable to the people of the city is one of the most important factors in the growth of the game in St. Louis. The numerous places where the game was played in 19th century St. Louis clearly illustrates this.
Gamble Lawn (Gamble Avenue and West Twentieth Street)-“It had long been used as a cricket ground and upon it the Empire Club laid the first claims, being shortly followed by several others. Upon this ground was played most all of the earliest match games.” I’ve verified that the Gamble Lawn was used as both a cricket ground and for baseball during the antebellum era.
Carr Place-“Carr Place was early used by the Morning Star Club and the next ground to become known as a base ball resort was nearly two blocks in extent on the west side of Ham Street, just south of Chouteau Avenue… (here) played the Union and Commercial Clubs in their first start out, but being small in dimension the ground was used almost solely for practice…” Al Spink, in The National Game, writes about early baseball games being played “on the ground now occupied by Carr Square Park.” Carr Park was most likely used by the Morning Stars due to the fact that most of the members lived within three blocks of it.
Lafayette Park- “…it was but a short time until (the Unions and Commercials) obtained permission from the city council to use a certain portion of Lafayette Park providing they would arrange and maintain the grounds at their own expense. This was done at an outlay of several hundred dollars by each club, but they enjoyed the benefit of the grounds for only a brief period as the war of the Rebellion had broken out, soldiers were being recruited and the military powers seized upon it as a fitting spot for an encampment.”
“In the early days in St. Louis my most intimate young men friends were John Riggin, Louis Hutchinson, John Stetinius and Paul Prewett, all “high rollers,” except myself. We belonged to the St. Louis Cyclone Base Ball Company in 1860. We leased what is now Lafayette Park. At that time, it was surrounded by an osage orange hedge. We spent $600 to put the grounds in shape.” Leonard Matthews A Long Life In Review
The father of Ed Bredell, the co-founder of the Cyclone Club, was a member of the Board of Improvements for the park, seeking outside monies for park improvements. He may have offered the club the use of the park if they would put together funds to “put the grounds in shape.” Also, I believe that the Bredell’s owned a house across the street from the park.
Allen’s Commons-“…so the boys went hunting for a new location (after the military seized Lafayette Park) and succeeded in finding one on Mississippi Avenue, south of Lafayette Park, on a large commons owned by Hon. Thos. Allen, who granted permission for the clubs to use the grounds free of all charges. Many ‘interesting and exciting’ games were played upon this ground; the most notable ones being a series between the Union and Empire Clubs.
The Old Cemetery Grounds-“One of the first match games of base ball played West of the Allegheny Mountains between rival clubs was between the Empire and Morning Star clubs of (St. Louis) early in the spring of ’61, and it was played on grounds adjoining the old cemetery, then located where now is the junction of Franklin Avenues, Wash and Twenty-eight Streets.”
The Fair Grounds-“One of the earliest match games played was between the Cyclone and Morning Star Clubs on grounds just back of where now stands the amphitheatre in the Fair Grounds…”
“The First Base Ball Match In St. Louis-The first regular game of base ball played in our city will come off between the members of the ‘Cyclone’ and ‘Morning Star’ Base Ball Clubs, on Monday, the 9th inst., at 4 o’clock, P.M., in the field immediately west of the Fair Grounds.” Notice played by Merritt Griswold in July 1860 in Daily Missouri Democrat
Note: Matches were held west of the Fair Grounds as late as 1868 so we can say that baseball was played at the Fair Grounds from 1860 until at least 1868.
The Laclede Grounds-“The Laclede was the name of an early club made up from master mechanics who played on a lot one block north of Easton Avenue between Jefferson and Garrison.”
The Ham Street Grounds-“The day before Gen’l (Frederick) Benteen (of the Cyclone Club) left St. Louis to join the army he lost a fine seal ring while playing a practice game early in the morning on the Ham street grounds.”
The Union Grounds-“On the 22nd of May (1867) the Union Club inaugurated its new grounds on Grand, south of Page avenue (near Franklin ave.), opposite where now stands the Rock Church by an exhibition game. These were the first enclosed grounds in St. Louis to which admission was charged…On the East side of the grounds near the Grand avenue entrance were located covered seats for ladies and their escorts, while on the south side were those designed for men and boys who had no objection to a sun bath.” Note: Very significant. The creation of enclosed grounds and the charging of admission is an important step forward in the evolution of the game in St. Louis and speaks to the forward thinking of Asa Smith, president of the Union Club, and his desire to bring St. Louis into the baseball mainstream. It also is an indication that the Unions, by 1867, was not a amateur club in our sense of the word. Enclosed grounds and admission charges usually meant that players were getting compensated in some form. Almost all sources state that the baseball clubs in StL were amateurs until 1875 but it’s likely that clubs like the Unions and Empires were compensating their players in some form as early as 1867. This also would fit with Smith as a visionary who wanted to bring the “modern” game to StL.
Also, I should add that the Rock Church is St. Alphonsus Liguori Catholic Church and is located at 1118 N. Grand.
The Veto Grounds-“The Unions having challenged the Empires for a championship series of three games, the first was scheduled for June 26 (1867), on the Veto grounds, afterwards known as the Compton Avenue Park, and located immediately adjoining the Pacific R.R. Machine Shops.”
“In 1866 the play ground (of the Empire Club) was changed to near the Pacific Railroad machine shop…” Al Spink The National Game
The Grand Avenue Grounds-“The subject matter of providing a permanent habitation and home for the Empire Club had long been under consideration by leading members of the club and early in this season (of 1868) assumed a tangible form by the appointment of a committee to select suitable grounds. They reported favorably upon what became known as the St. Louis Base Ball Park, the property being then a cornfield and owned by John Dunn. At the same time the Union Club, having become dissatisfied with their own grounds further South on Grand Avenue and opposite where now stands the Rock Church, also discovered the availability of the tract selected by the Empire committee. The main recommendation of this ground was its near proximity to the Fair Grounds which was then the objective point of several street car lines built and to be built. August Solari, a member of the Empire Club, secured a five-year lease of this property and entered into an agreement with the Union Club whereby upon the payment of a small rental and giving him the lumber contained in their old grounds for use in the erection of grandstands, fencing, etc., in the new park, Solari was obligated to provide necessary accommodations, keep the grounds in good order, the Union Club to have the exclusive right to use of the park on certain days. The Empire Club rented from Solari two days in each week, one being Sunday. It was in the foregoing manner that old Sportsman’s Park, as it was known eventually, became the main base ball center of the city and for several years thereafter it remained so…The first game on the new grounds was played Saturday, May 3, 1868, between the first and second nines of the Union Club and next came the first regular match of the Empire Club for this season…on May 21 with the Commercial Club, resulting in a score (unintelligible) in favor of the Empires.”
Note: The Grand Avenue Grounds was the scene of most of the major baseball matches in StL between its creation and 1874. As home to both the Empires and Unions, “the base ball park,” as it was commonly referred to, would see uncountable championship matches as well as all of the most important baseball visitors to StL. It would also serve as the home of the Brown Stockings from 1875 to 1877 when they played in the NA and NL (when it would be the scene of the first NL game played in StL). After the collapse of the Brown Stockings following the 1877 season, the park would fall into disrepair until it was rebuilt by Sportsman’s Park and Club Association in 1881.
“The former Grand Avenue Park had long since fallen into disuse. Remote from St. Louis proper, the unpaved roads to the park were too bumpy for travel by carriage. With monies from the Sportsman’s Park Club and Association, the rotten bleachers were replaced with a double-decker grandstand and bleachers. Capacity was 8,000, including comfortable chairs for ladies and a special section dedicated exclusively to the ‘howling’ element of fandom.” J. Thomas Hetrick Chris Von der Ahe and the St. Louis Browns
Note: The park would be home to the Browns until they moved to New Sportsman’s Park in 1892. The AL Browns would build the “modern” Sportsman’s Park on the grounds in 1902 and the grounds would be the scene of professional baseball until 1965.
The Abbey Race Track Grounds-“The Atlantic Club having established itself on new grounds at the Abbey race track played an inaugural game on Sept. 14 (1870) with the Empire Club, defeating the latter 25 to 19. The grounds were not in suitable condition but one prior game having been played upon it.
The Wash Home Grounds-“…on June 1 (1873)…the Niagaras played the Hermans…on the Wash Home grounds…”
The Rivals Grounds-“The Red Sox defeated the Rivals on June 1 (1873) by a score of 47 to 5…on the Rivals grounds…”
The Lone Star Grounds-“…(on July 20, 1873) the Red Stocking and Rival Clubs played on the old Lone Star grounds back of Lafayette Park…” Al Spink, in The National Game, mentions a grounds just south of Lafayette Park where the Rowenas and Vanities played; this is probably the same grounds.
Red Stocking Park-also known as the Compton Avenue Park, built in 1874 by Thomas McNeary on the site of the old Veto grounds; “On May 24 (1874) the Empires and Red Stockings opened on their series of championship games at Red Stocking park.” Was the site of the first game between two “professional” clubs on May 4, 1875 when the Reds took on the Browns in the first National Association contest in StL. Of course, the evidence suggests that there were professional teams in StL prior to this and the first game between two professional teams in StL probably took place in the late 1860’s. Baseball was played at the Compton Avenue Park until it was torn down in the 1890’s.
There is substantial evidence that the Compton Avenue Park was the major site of black baseball in the 1870s and 1880s. While there were some games played by black clubs at the Grand Avenue Park, the vast majority of games that I’m aware of were played at Compton Avenue.
Stocks Park-“The Stocks, as their name implies, was made up of livestock men, most of them residing in ‘Butcher Town’ north of Easton and west of Vandeventer avenue. Their grounds were located between (unintelligible).” I’m unable to read the Tobias text at this point and establish the location of the Stocks Grounds although one would assume that it was located somewhere around Vandeventer, near the site of what would become New Sportsman’s Park. Al Spink, in The National Game, mentions that the Stocks Grounds was located “just off Easton, near Vandeventer avenue” which, naturally enough (since Spink owned and edited TSN) seems taken directly from the Tobais material. Spink writes: “In 1875 William L. Cassidy, Josh Rothschild and other baseball enthusiasts and livestock dealers built the Stocks Park which was located near the car sheds in the vicinity of Easton and Vandeventer avenues.”
The Elephant and Saw Log Grounds-“The Elephant and ‘Saw Log’ Grounds on the river front, open field east of Broadway and north of North Market street, where the Elephant and ‘Saw Log’ teams played their games in the early seventies.” Al Spink, The National Game
Note: The Elephant club didn’t become prominent until around 1874/5 so Spink might be a bit off with his dates here.
Kensington Garden Grounds-“The game (between the Home Comforts and the Sultan Bitters) was played (in 1889) on the Kensington Garden grounds and the Comforts were the winners by a score of 3 to 2.” Al Spink The National Game
Spink mentions that the grounds were located at “Union and Page avenues.”
The St. Louis Amateur Grounds-mentioned by Spink as being located at “Missouri and Russell avenues” and, along with the Kensington Garden Grounds, as the site of games between teams in the St. Louis Baseball League in 1889
The Union Grounds-“(Henry Lucas) built Lucas Park on his own land, with a capacity for 10,000 fans. Lucas believed in comfort and aesthetics. Features included a huge grandstand, upholstered folding opera chairs, and leisure facilities. Patrons entering were serenaded by a cage full of canaries. With such amenities, the park was dubbed ‘The Palace Park of America.’ Fans weren’t the only pampered guests. The grounds housed a dressing room and reception area. One room was for reading and lectures. Another was designed for hygiene. The washroom had no less than nine bathtubs. For the fifty-six-game (1884) home schedule (of the Maroons), ball cranks could purchase a reserved season ticket for $22. Bleacher season tickets sold for $11.00.” J. Thomas Hetrick Chris Von der Ahe and the St. Louis Browns
New Sportsmans Park-“The New Sportsman’s Park, built in 1893 at the corner of Vandeventer Avenue and Natural Bridge Road, was one of (Chris) Von der Ahe’s many risky real-estate ventures. On April 16, 1898, a disastrous fire virtually destroyed the ballpark. Von der Ahe sank his dwindling cash reserve into rebuilding it…” Jon David Cash Before They Were Cardinals
“The Coney Island of the West,” as it was dubbed, was a forerunner of the modern day sport complex with its racetrack, bicycle track, water ride, etc coupled to the attraction of the baseball game. After the fire, it was quickly rebuilt and no games were cancelled. However, it was rebuilt on a less grand scale and was little more than a simple ballpark. Would be renamed Robison Field after the Robison brothers acquired the Browns early in 1899. The soon-to-be renamed Cardinals would continue to play at the ballpark until (if memory serves) 1920.
Some General Thoughts
Al Spink, in The National Game, wrote that “(up) to that time (1860) indeed games were played on the prairie in North, South and West St. Louis by the boys of the town, who gave no heed to club organization or anything of that sort.” Spink’s observation is extremely relevant to any discussion of the growth of the game in St. Louis and the number of places where the game was played in the city. The growth of the game and where the game was played is intertwined in such a way that the latter propelled the former.
In But Didn’t We Have Fun?, Peter Morris speaks to the connection between the growth of the game and the availability of land upon which the game could be played. For the game to thrive, there had to be, obviously, land which could be used as a baseball field but also land that was accessible to both players and spectators. At the same time, the field could not be located in a downtown urban environment where flying baseballs and running athletes might do damage to windows, passer-bys, and the like.
St. Louis, unlike almost any Eastern city, had an abundance of open land easily accessible to its citizens. In 1860, as the game began to take off, St. Louis had been settled for less then one hundred years. It was a small town that, for the most part, still hugged the river and didn’t stretch more than a handful of blocks west. As Spink noted, to the north, west, and south of the city was an abundant amount of open land that, upon the founding of the city, was designated as common farm land. While the commons were eventually swallowed up by the growth of St. Louis, in the 1860’s and 1870’s this area was just outside of the city proper, cleared for agricultural purposes, and easily accessible to those living in the city itself.
An example of the nature of the area can be seen in the Camp Jackson affair. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the pro-Confederate Missouri State Militia was sent by Gov. Jackson to St. Louis. Without delving into the details of the affair, the militia camped just outside of the city of St. Louis in a location that was quickly named Camp Jackson. In pictures of Camp Jackson taken at the time, the area appears to be a wide-open prairie with sparse groupings of trees here and there. The significance of this to the history of baseball in St. Louis is that the area where the Militia camped would after the Civil War become the Veto Grounds and eventually the Compton Avenue Park.
The St. Louis commons were perfect for playing baseball. Open and accessible, they gave the baseball fraternity in the city a variety of places to play. On can see that the location of most of the known 19th century baseball grounds in St. Louis were located in areas that had formally been part of the commons. The Grand Avenue Grounds in the north, the Veto Grounds in the west, the Lone Star Grounds in the south-all were built in areas that had only recently been farmland and was only just beginning, in the post-Civil War era, to be developed.
The availability of open land just outside the city of St. Louis and easily accusable to the people of the city is one of the most important factors in the growth of the game in St. Louis. The numerous places where the game was played in 19th century St. Louis clearly illustrates this.
