BrooklynBallParks.com

Nowhere has the now National game of Base Ball, taken firmer hold
than in Brooklyn, and nowhere are there better players.

-- Brooklyn Eagle, May 10, 1860
If you read the Mills Report of 1907, you might be tempted to believe that baseball history had something to do with Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, in upstate New York. That whitewash aside, baseball has very complex roots. The first draft of the modern game was codified by Alexander Cartwright and others of the Knickerbocker Club in New York, and aggressively promoted by Brooklyn's Henry Chadwick. He gave us the box score, the whole notion of baseball statistics, and maybe the best press coverage the game ever had.

Largely as a result of Chadwick's influence, Brooklyn became one of the cradles of organized baseball. The borough saw teams in five different major leagues and in the Negro Leagues, with nicknames ranging from the Gladiators to the Royal Giants to the Hartfords to the Bridegrooms to the Mutuals. So we went in search of Brooklyn's professional baseball history, past and (amazingly) present. This is what we have found.

What's New?

The Washington Park wall is in the Daily News and the Village Voice with Con Ed demolishing the building behind it.
On November 8, Gotham SideWalks conducted a ten mile Brooklyn baseball bike tour, featuring many of the fields mentioned on this site. We were there, and had a great time. What is Gotham Sidewalks all about? As they say: Gotham SideWalks make New York City's history relevant through themed, community-based tours that reflect the contributions and diversity of notable and everyday New Yorkers. When this tour comes up next year, we recommend it highly!
A new t-shirt featuring Washington Park
A brand new page for the renovated gems of Take The Field
A brand new t-shirt in light or dark versions for 19th century fans
Stump your friends: what year was the last Dodger game at Washington Park?
The Crescent Athletic Club Grounds, stunning playground of the wealthy sporting fraternity, now has a separate page
Many more other parks
A ton of new photos, with extra special ones of Brooklyn Athletic Field and Wallace's Ridgewood Grounds
Want the Dodgers back? Buy the t-shirt!
Check out our geeky sports blog...

The Parks

The Teams

Our Travels

Our Favorite Games

A lack of base balls at the Long Island Grounds
Chadwick chooses the better skaters at Washington Park
A phenomenal inning at Ebbets Field
A ridiculous inning at the Atlantic Ground
The Eckford's finest hour at the Union Grounds
A giant upset at Wallace's Ridgewood Grounds
Base ball's greatest game at the Capitoline Grounds
A home run bunt at Keyspan Park
The first and last pro ball game at the Parade Ground
Baseball by candlelight at Washington Park
The Superbas play sand lot ball at Washington Park
And more to come...

And...

Leaving Brooklyn

If you'd like to read our minds a little, and see credit where it's due, please check our research notes and guest essays.

You Can Help

Keeping this website up has become an costly business. As well as hosting and domain name costs, we have spent, and continue to spend, a great deal on fees for reproducing and displaying images. If you'd like to help defray the cost a little, you could buy a Brooklyn baseball t-shirt or donate through Paypal:

BrooklynBallParks.com is brought to you by
Andrew Ross (wonders@brooklynballparks.com)
and David Dyte (tiptops@brooklynballparks.com).
Please contact us with any corrections, additions, or requests.