Hilldale Park was a ballpark in

Darby, Pennsylvania Darby is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough is located along Darby Creek southwest of Center City Philadelphia. The borough of Darby is distinct from the nearby municipality of Darby Township. History Darby ...

at the northeast corner of Chester and Cedar Avenues. It was the home field of the

Hilldale Club The Hilldale Athletic Club (informally known as Darby Daisies) were an American professional Negro league baseball team based in Darby, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia. Established as a boys team in 1910, the Hilldales were developed by their ...

professional baseball team which played in the

Negro leagues The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

between 1910 and 1932. The ballpark opened in 1914. It had a well-manicured field with a large tree in center-field, whose branches overlooked the field and were considered in play. Contemporary maps indicate the ballpark was bounded by buildings and Cedar Avenue to the southwest (third base); Chester Avenue to the southeast (first base); Bunting Lane (now North MacDade Boulevard) to the northwest (left and center fields); and a portion of Holy Cross Cemetery to the northeast (right field). Hilldale's average attendance at Hilldale Park was 1,844 per-game in 1926 and 1,371 in 1929. The ballpark site now contains retail stores and parking lots.

Contemporary Honors and Celebrations

Historical Marker

On October 14, 2006, over 500 individuals gathered for the dedication of a Pennsylvania Historical marker at the former site of the ballpark. The ceremony was attended by Philadelphia Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson, former Phillies player

Garry Maddox Garry Lee Maddox (born September 1, 1949) is an American former professional baseball player and business entrepreneur. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from to . Maddox began his career with the San Francisco Giants but, ...

, and Gene Dias, Phillies director of community relations,. Also attending were the four living members of the Negro league Philadelphia Stars, Bill Cash, Mahlon Duckett, Stanley Glenn, and Harold Gould, and Ray Mackey, great grandnephew of former Hilldale and Stars player

Biz Mackey James Raleigh "Biz" Mackey (July 27, 1897 – September 22, 1965) was an American catcher and manager in Negro league baseball. He played for the Indianapolis ABCs (1920–1922), New York Lincoln Giants (1920), Hilldale Daisies (1923–1931), P ...

. Area businessman John Bossong led the effort for the historical marker. The marker is titled, "The Hilldale Athletic Club (The Darby Daisies)" and the text reads,

This baseball team, whose home was here at Hilldale Park, won the Eastern Colored League championship three times and the 1925 Negro League World Series. Darby fielded Negro League teams from 1910 to 1932. Notable players included baseball hall of fame members Pop Lloyd, Judy Johnson, Martin Dihigo, Joe Williams, Oscar Charleston, Ben Taylor, Biz Mackey, and Louis Santop. Owner Ed Bolden helped form the Eastern Colored League.

References

External links

Project Ballpark: Hilldale ParkNLBM Discussion about Hilldale Park1920 Sanborn map showing the ballpark
{{Coord, 39.923, -75.256, region:US-PA_type:landmark, display=title Defunct sports venues in Philadelphia Defunct baseball venues in the United States Demolished buildings and structures in Pennsylvania Negro league baseball venues Demolished sports venues in Pennsylvania Baseball venues in Pennsylvania 1914 establishments in Pennsylvania Sports venues completed in 1914

Contemporary Honors and Celebrations

Historical Marker

See also

References

External links