Herald Park (also known as Houston Base Ball Park, Fair Ground Park, and League Park
) was a
baseball park located in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
and was the home of the
Houston Buffaloes
The Houston Buffaloes, Houston Buffalos, or Buffs were an American minor league baseball team, and were the first minor league team to be affiliated with a Major League Baseball, Major League franchise, which was the St. Louis Cardinals. The clu ...
from 1888 until 1904. It also served as the
spring training facility for the
Louisville Colonels
The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as th ...
and the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
in the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
in 1895 and 1904 respectively.
The ballpark existed near the Houston fairgrounds at the intersection of Travis Street and McGowen Street on the eastern edge of
Fourth Ward. Today, Houston's Reef restaurant sat on the location of Herald Park until it closed in 2019. In 2016, the
Texas Historical Commission
The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas.
The commission also identifies Recorded Texas Historic L ...
commemorated the ballpark by placing a historical marker on the location.
History
Planning and construction
![Fair Grounds Base Ball Park Texas Historical Marker](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Fair_Grounds_Base_Ball_Park_Texas_Historical_Marker.jpeg)
On July 2, 1884, a meeting was held in the office J. W. Mitchell that decided to issue 120 shares of stock at $10 each for the purpose of preparing a baseball park. Mitchell, along with W. H. Coyle and Colonel Will Childress headed a committee to sell such shares. Built in a largely unpopulated area of prairie land, on the grounds of the State Fair of Texas, fences and a
grandstand were erected on the site by 1885.
Regular use
The ballpark became the home of the semi-professional Houston Heralds club in 1887, and the site became known as "Herald Park".
The Heralds were named as such because their owner, William H. Bailey, also owned the local newspaper called the ''Houston Herald''. Although the Heralds team ceased after that season, many continued to refer to the ballpark by this name well into the 20th century.
Two big-league ball clubs
barnstormed through Houston in 1887, the
New York Giants and the
St. Louis Browns
The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...
, and played at Herald Park. When the Browns played, they faced a team composed of five from the
Chicago White Stockings, two from the
Pittsburgh Alleghenys
The following is a history of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.
Franchise beginnings (1870s-1899) Early baseball in Pittsburgh and the American Association
The earliest mention of "base ball" in the region was found in the journal ...
, and two from
Cincinnati Red Stockings
The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867†...
. The Red Stockings as a whole returned to Houston the following season, but this time as the opponent of Houston's first fully professional ball club in their first ever game.
Herald Park was the site of the first modern
Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
game between Houston and Galveston on April 1, 1888. Houston won the game 4-1.
On April 28, 1889, a mysterious fire burned down the grandstand, the ladies stand, reporters' stand, and soda stand. Rebuilt soon thereafter, none of the property was insured, and an estimated total cost of damage was $1,200 ().
The first night game was held at Herald Park on July 22, 1892 when Houston manager
John McCloskey
John McCloskey (March 10, 1810 – October 10, 1885) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the first American born Archbishop of New York from 1864 until his death in 1885, having previously served as Bishop o ...
ordered
arc lights to be placed on the field in a game against Galveston.
The
Louisville Colonels
The Louisville Colonels were a Major League Baseball team that also played in the American Association (AA) throughout that league's ten-year existence from 1882 until 1891. They were known as the Louisville Eclipse from 1882 to 1884, and as th ...
of the
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...
became the first big league ball club to come to Houston for
spring training in 1895 as Herald Park was their home, while the
Chicago White Stockings (now known as the Chicago Cubs) made their home in nearby
Galveston
Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Ga ...
. The two teams played each other frequently with the use of the
interurban
The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 ...
.
In 1898, the ballpark received renovations when the left field fence was moved one hundred feet and the diamond moved fifty feet out toward Main Street.
A plank for fans to walk from the streetcar landing to the gate was also added.
The ballpark served as the spring training facility for the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...
, also of the National League, in 1904. It was the beginning of a long history of that club with Houston, as they returned for spring training in 1906 through 1908 at
West End Park, and then purchased an eighteen percent share of the Houston Buffaloes before making them the first minor league
farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...
in 1921.
Redevelopment, closure, and demolition
The ballpark's demise was foreshadowed by a 1903 meeting of the Fourth Ward Civic Club, where they advocated removal of the park. Although owned by the Houston Electric Company throughout the majority of its existence, the ball park was sold to a real estate development company before the beginning of the
1904 season.
However, on April 5, 1904, it was announced that Houston would continue to use the ballpark at least until August because the developers were not yet ready to build on the site. Throughout the season, development did eventually begin before August, and the size of the field was necessarily modified. Game rules became inventive to accommodate the shrunken size.
Houston's professional baseball team played its last game at the park against the
Beaumont Millionaires on July 1, 1904.
West End Park, the permanent successor to Herald Park, was constructed and opened in April 1905.
Notable events
Birth of the "Texas Leaguer"
Houston
center fielder Ollie Pickering
Oliver Daniel Pickering (April 9, 1870 – January 20, 1952) was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager in a 30-year career that spanned from the 1892 Houston Mudcats to the 1922 Paducah Indians. He played for a number of Maj ...
set a
Texas League
The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...
record for
singles
Singles are people not in a committed relationship.
Singles may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series
* ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe
* ''Singles'' ...
in the season opener game and Pickering's Texas League debut against the
Fort Worth Panthers
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
on May 21, 1892 at Herald Park. According to the April 21, 1906 edition of ''
Sporting Life'', this game was the origin of the "Texas Leaguer", a single that falls just outside the infield, because Pickering's first seven at bats were consecutively successful in this manner. This Texas League record still stands today.
Other uses
American football
Herald Park also occasionally served as a venue for American football games.
Galveston
Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Ga ...
's
Ball High School
Ball High School is a public secondary school in Galveston, Texas, United States. Ball, which covers grades 9 through 12, is a part of Galveston Independent School District.
Ball High School serves the cities of Galveston and Jamaica Beach a ...
played a game against a team from Houston known as the "Olympics" on November 26, 1896. The same Houston team then played against
TCU in that university's second ever game on December 19, 1896. The next month, the Olympics played
Houston High School. Herald Park also served as a neutral football site on several occasions.
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...
was defeated by
Sewanee Sewanee may refer to:
* Sewanee, Tennessee
* Sewanee: The University of the South
* ''The Sewanee Review'', an American literary magazine established in 1892
* Sewanee Natural Bridge
* Saint Andrews-Sewanee School
See also
* Suwanee (disambiguati ...
there, but returned for their next game against
Tulane
Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...
to be victorious.
Transportation access
Herald Park was served by the
Houston Electric Company's South End line, which provided
street car access during its time. With transfers from Houston's Grand Central Station, this allowed for direct public transportation using
interurban
The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 ...
lines such as the
Galveston–Houston Electric Railway
The Galveston–Houston Electric Railway was an interurban railway between Galveston and Houston, Texas from 1911 to 1936. The railway was recognized as the fastest interurban line in 1925 and 1926., Texas State Historical Association.
Route
The ...
and Houston North Shore Railway.
See also
*
List of baseball parks in Houston, Texas
*
West End Park (Houston)
West End Park was a baseball park in Houston from 1905 to the 1940s. It was the primary ballpark for the city when it was constructed, and the city's first venue for Negro Major League games. From 1909 through 1910 and again in 1915, it also ser ...
*
Buffalo Stadium
Buffalo Stadium was a minor league stadium primarily used by the Houston Buffaloes from 1928 through 1961 (except for 1943 to 1945 because of World War II). It was the site of the first night game between two major league baseball clubs, which to ...
*
Colt Stadium
Colt Stadium was a Major League Baseball, Major League baseball stadium that formerly stood in Houston, Texas. It was the temporary home of the expansion Houston Colt .45s for their first three seasons (1962 Houston Colt .45s season, 1962–1964 H ...
*
Astrodome
The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston ...
*
Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park is a retractable roof stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. It opened in 2000 as the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros. It has a seating capacity of 41,168, which includes 5,197 club seats and 63 ...
Sources
* "Baseball in the Lone Star State: Texas League's Greatest Hits", Tom Kayser and David King, Trinity University Press 2005
References
{{coord missing, Texas
Baseball venues in Houston
Sports venues demolished in 1904
Defunct college football venues
Defunct minor league baseball venues
American football venues in Houston
High school football venues in Texas
Houston Buffaloes
Louisville Colonels spring training venues
St. Louis Cardinals spring training venues
1884 establishments in Texas
1904 disestablishments in Texas
Sports venues completed in 1884