Bringing Nashville’s Baseball History Home
The last game played at Nashville’s Sulphur Dell Ballpark was in 1963, and the stadium, which seated up to 7,000, was finally demolished in 1969. Fortunately, that’s not the end of the story for this historic site. With the latest announcement from Mayor Karl Dean, Nashville learns that baseball is coming back home. A new stadium is slated to break ground soon right there where baseball in Nashville first began.
The Storied Past
According to the story on SulphurDell.com, baseball was first introduced to Nashville during the Civil War, when Union soldiers taught residents how to play the game. Twenty years later, Nashville became home to its first professional baseball team, the Americans.
The field had more quirks than Fenway due to the constraints imposed by city blocks. Shorter distances between bases and an inclined outfield made for interesting games for the several teams that called this stadium home. Of course, the new stadium will likely be of perfect size and proportions, and players probably won’t miss those quirks that could change the game in the blink of an eye.
The Bright Future
Sulphur Dell is located near one of Nashville’s most popular residential neighborhoods, Germantown. The community has been steadily growing for several years, but news of this nature may prompt an explosion of new residences, businesses, restaurants, and banks in the area. The Nashville Sounds will call the new stadium home, which means game nights will flood the area with consumers throughout the season.
A New Era
Baseball will begin a new era in Sulphur Dell after the completion of the stadium, but more importantly, will also call to mind the history of this great game in our great city. What an exciting time to live in Nashville!
photo credit: Ron Cogswell via photopin cc
Comments(0)