Charlie Byrne, president of the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, was offered the option to purchase a plot of land
in East New York for his team in late 1887. The plot was bounded by Eastern Parkway (now Pitkin Avenue),
Vesta Avenue (now Van Sinderen), Powell Street, and Sutter Avenue. However, because of the possibility of the city extending
Junius Street and Belmont Avenue through the plot, he declined the chance.
When the newly formed
Brotherhood team needed a park two years later, Monte Ward jumped at the chance to lease the same plot
from the Ridgewood Land and Improvement Company, a syndicate of businessmen who bought the space for $88,000.
As construction began, the Brooklyn Eagle boasted that "Brooklyn is to have the finest base ball grounds in the country."
The new stadium was originally to be dubbed Atlantic Park, in honor of the former champion Brooklyn team,
but in deference to the many bar owners who had already taken similar names for their establishments, the more prosaic
moniker of Eastern Park was chosen. The press also referred to the park as the Brotherhood Grounds.
Foul weather constantly hampered construction and field work, and Eastern Park was barely ready for the 1890
season. Complaints of severely muddy conditions were regular in the ground's early history.
After several practice games against amateur nines- other professionals being banned from taking on Players
League teams- the Wonders made their major league home debut on April 28, defeating the Philadelphia
club 3 to 1.
After the 1890 season, the Players League disbanded and Ward's Wonders were folded into
Byrne's National League club. The club inherited the lease on Eastern Park and remained through the
end of the 1897 season, despite Byrne's declaration during merger negotiations that he "did not
purpose to desert so good and popular a ground as Washington Park for the furtherance of other people's
real estate schemes."
Eastern Park, as set up for baseball, and for football
Although Eastern Park was far from most of Brooklyn's population, it was at a hub of various rail
and trolley lines. Because of the adventures this caused for anyone who walked to the ground, the
Trolley Dodger nickname became associated with Byrne's team. This name would eventually stick, but
little else is worthy of note about the Dodgers' stay in East New York.
Eastern Park possibly hosted the first professional game with four umpires, due to an extra Players League crew
misreading the schedule and showing up by mistake, on July 14, 1890. Manager Ward requested that the spares be put to good use,
installing one umpire behind the bat and one at each base. The Brooklyn Wonders defeated Pittsburg, 6 to 2, and the
umpiring standard was complimented by those present. For the record, Messrs. Jones and Knight were the scheduled
officials, while Holbert and Bob "Death to Flying Things" Ferguson were the interlopers.
Yale vs Princeton, Thanksgiving Day 1890
Eastern Park also hosted many football games during its history. The local Crescent Club called it home,
and college games were held there too. The much anticipated Princeton-Yale football game on
Thanksgiving Day in 1890 was played at Eastern Park. One of the
free stands collapsed, resulting in injuries to at least 50 people. For the record, Yale won 32-0 over a
disappointing Orange squad.
Eastern Park today
On October 2, 1897, in the final major league game at Eastern Park, Brooklyn defeated Boston 15 to 6, finishing a mediocre
seven year stay on a high note. The park was sold off and demolished soon after the Brooklyns left. Today, the Eastern Park site is an industrial wasteland, featuring spare tire dealers, piles of rusted car parts, among
other unattractive sights. As Byrne feared, streets have been driven through the site, also. It scarcely seems believable that eight seasons
of major league baseball were played at this spot.
Old pictures and maps on this page were lifted with permission from Paul Luchter's Amazing Sports Lists.
