The Union Grounds were run by William Cammeyer, who was proprietor of a skating pond in the
Williamsburgh area, bounded by Harrison Avenue, Rutledge Street, Lynch Street, and Marcy Avenue.
Cammeyer set out to convert the grounds for baseball
for the summer of 1862, and performed a fine job with some speed. Seating was available for around
1,500 spectators, but many more could be accommodated around the extremely large field without
being likely to interfere with play. Rather than charge the home teams rent, Cammeyer decided on
a new idea: charging spectators for admission. The original fee was 10 cents. The field is reputed
to be the first enclosed baseball park, although this has not been definitely established. Cammeyer
advertised that "none but first class clubs need apply" as tenants for the Union Grounds, and signed
up the Eckford, Putnam, and Constellation Clubs.
Atlantic vs Eckford in 1865
Aside from its early status as an enclosed field, the Union Grounds had one other highly unusual
feature: a pagoda was in play in deep center field. This structure was three storeys high, and during
skating season it would be filled with lamps each evening to decorate the pond with glittering
reflections. Although the site remained in operation as a rink during winter, the Brooklyn Eagle
reported in 1863 that the pagoda was scheduled to be removed. It ended up lasting as long as the
grounds themselves, however.
The Union Grounds saw many fine matches in its time. One big game in 1862 saw the combined clubs of Brooklyn's
eastern district defeat a Philadelphia nine, 23 to 16. Match reports focused almost as much attention on
the fine collation of foods available after the game as on the play itself. In a classic best of
three matchup that same year, the Eckford Club wrested the championship from the long-reigning Atlantics.
The Eckfords also sustained one of their worst defeats at the Union Grounds- a 55 to 11 thrashing
at the hands of the Atlantic Club in 1868.
An overhead view of the Union Grounds Drawing courtesy Jeff Suntala, from his Evolution of the
Ballpark series
The Union Grounds also saw the occasional sham. In September, 1872, the Brooklyn Eagle complained
of "gate money nines" which would represent themselves as better than they really were, in order to
share gate receipts of an anticipated big game. In particular, the complaint was made of a nine from
Troy, who claimed to be made up of the best of the old Haymaker and Putnam Clubs of that city, but
actually had one Putnam and no Haymakers at all. This club was soundly thrashed, 37 to 5, by the Mutual
Club at the Union Grounds.
The Eckford Club remained at the Union Grounds for the remainder of its history, through the ill fated
National Association season of 1872. Several other major clubs called the Union Grounds home at times,
too. The Atlantic Club played there from 1873 to 1875, as did Atlantic namesake clubs through 1882. The Mutual Club of New
York moved from Hoboken to the Union Grounds in 1868, and remained until they folded at the end of the
1876 season. Finally, the National League's Hartford Club of Brooklyn called the Union Grounds home in 1877.
Resolute of Brooklyn vs Athletic of Philadelphia in 1865
The last major league game at the Union Grounds was played between the Providence Grays and Milwaukee Cream Citys of
the National League, on July 26, 1878. Providence won a well played game 4 to 1. The match was
an experimental one, to see if the baseball starved patrons of Brooklyn would turn out to see a
neutral affair. They did not, and each club took home just $60 in receipts.
The Union Grounds remained in use after major league baseball left, but fell into disrepair in
much the same manner as the main tenant, the Atlantics. The last game of any kind at the Union
Grounds that we can find reference to is between the New York and Boston Paper
Trade nines, on September 16, 1882. The Union Grounds were demolished in July 1883, with half of the site
making room for the 47th Regiment armory, which still stands today. The remainder of the site is
now a school.
