Jefferson Street Grounds was a

baseball field A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The term can also be used as a metonym for a baseball park. The term sandlot is sometimes used, although this usually refers ...

located in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. It was also known as Jefferson Park and Athletics Park. It was home to three different

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professiona ...

teams, competing in three different

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

s. Notably, it was the venue for the first game in

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 s ...

history, played on April 22, 1876.

History

Baseball had first been played on the site in 1864. Several local clubs held their games there, including the historic

Olympic Ball Club of Philadelphia Town ball, townball, or Philadelphia town ball, is a bat-and-ball, safe haven game played in North America in the 18th and 19th centuries, which was similar to rounders and was a precursor to modern baseball. In some areas—such as Philadelp ...

, which had begun playing various varieties of

town ball Town ball, townball, or Philadelphia town ball, is a bat-and-ball, safe haven game played in North America in the 18th and 19th centuries, which was similar to rounders and was a precursor to modern baseball. In some areas—such as Philadelph ...

starting in the early 1830s and had adopted the "New York game" by 1860. When they began playing at the Jefferson site, the diamond was situated at the southeast corner, at 25th (first base) and Master (third base). The Olympics built a clubhouse along Master. Jefferson was behind right field. Local newspapers typically gave the ballfield location as "25th and Jefferson". The grounds would be home to three different professional teams: * Athletic Club of Philadelphia (also known as the

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oakla ...

) from 1871 to 1876. The team competed in the National Association until 1875, and in the

of Base Ball Clubs in 1876. * Philadelphia Base Ball Club (also known as the

Philadelphia White Stockings The Philadelphia White Stockings were an early professional baseball team. They were a member of the National Association from 1873 to 1875. Their home games were played at the Jefferson Street Grounds. They were managed by Fergy Malone, Jimm ...

) from 1873 to 1875, when they shared the venue with the Athletics. The White Stockings competed in the National Association. *

from 1883 to 1890. This franchise competed in the

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

25th and Jefferson, 1864 to 1875

The grounds were located on a large block bounded by Jefferson Street (north); 25th Street (east); Master Street (south); and 27th Street (west). Across the street to the south was the Spring Garden Reservoir, which has since been filled in. Although often listed as one ballpark, the 1870s diamond was located in the opposite corner of the block from the 1880s diamond. The facility opened to professional league baseball during 1871, as early as May 15. The club's first official National Association home game was played on June

The seating capacity was meager, only 5,000 seats. The inaugural

game was played there, on Saturday, April 22, 1876, between Athletic and Boston Red Caps, Boston; the Bostons won, 6–5. By a quirk of fate, it was the only National League game played that day, all others being rained out. This game is often pointed to as the beginning of Major League Baseball.

26th and Jefferson, 1883 to 1890

After an early Athletics franchise was expelled from the National League following the 1876 season, the field fell into disuse. The City of Philadelphia cut 26th Street through the lot, allowing the eastern half of the large block to be developed. The western half remained vacant. A new American Association team, also called the Athletics, decided to move from their

Oakdale Park Oakdale Park is a former baseball park located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The field was home to the Philadelphia Athletics professional baseball team in the first season of the American Association, 1882. The site of the park had been used ...

after their inaugural 1882 season. Beginning in 1883, the Athletics leased the western half of the Jefferson Street lot, and erected a new diamond and grandstands at the northwest corner. Local newspapers then referred to the ballfield location as "26th and Jefferson", where there was an entrance gate. Also by this time, the venue was being called Athletic Grounds or Athletic Park. The Athletics opened the new ballpark to the public on Saturday, April 7, 1883 for a preseason exhibition game against

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

which Athletic won 12 to 0. It was reported that the new ballpark could accommodate 5,000 to 6,000 fans. One of the largest crowds at the ballpark was recorded on April 4, 1887 for the first game of Philadelphia's 1887 City Series when 9,183 tickets were sold and an "immense crowd" turned out to see the Phillies defeat the

Athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

by a score of 10 to 2. Prior to the 1889 season, a new band stand was erected on the left field side next to the grandstand large enough for a 25-piece military band. On March 1, 1890, the Kensington Rovers and Philadelphia South End soccer clubs met at the ballpark in what the Philadelphia Inquirer called "the roughest and most exciting game of football (under English Association rules) that has ever been played in this city..." The last major league game played in the park was October 11, 1890. The "Athletics" teams that played at the Jefferson Street Grounds do not have any direct lineage to the Philadelphia Athletics franchise that was an inaugural member of the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league b ...

in 1901, and exists today as the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

Ballpark site today

The ball field still exists in a revised form. The ballpark site is currently occupied by various structures including Daniel Boone Public School, also known as Camelot Academy, at 1435 N 26th St, and the Athletic Recreation Center and its ball fields. The field at the northwest corner of the lot approximates the location of the 1883–1890 diamond.

References

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External links