List Of Baseball Parks In Nashville, Tennessee
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Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
, has hosted
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 baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...
teams since the late 19th century at five
ballpark A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...
s around the city. The first was Sulphur Spring Park, later renamed Athletic Park but best known as
Sulphur Dell Sulphur Dell, formerly known as Sulphur Spring Park and Athletic Park, was a baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It was located just north of the Tennessee State Capitol building in the block bounded by modern-day Jackson Street, ...
, which was the home of the city's
minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...
teams from 1885 to 1963. It was located just north of the Tennessee State Capitol in downtown Nashville. The facility was demolished in 1969. A number of
Negro league 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 ...
teams competed at Sulphur Dell as well as at Greenwood Park, located across from Greenwood Cemetery, and
Tom Wilson Park Tom Wilson Park is a former Negro league baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee, that opened in 1929 and closed in 1946. The ballpark has since been demolished. Park history The ballpark, owned by Thomas T. Wilson, was centrally located in what ...
, north of the
Nashville Fairgrounds The Nashville Fairgrounds, also known as The Fairgrounds Nashville and the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, is an entertainment complex in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The site is located southeast of Downtown Nashville on the Nolensville Pike. ...
, both of which were in Nashville's black communities and have since been demolished.
Herschel Greer Stadium Herschel Greer Stadium was a Minor League Baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee, on the grounds of Fort Negley, an American Civil War fortification, approximately south of the city's downtown district. The facility closed at the end of the 20 ...
was built in 1978 on the grounds of
Fort Negley Fort Negley was a fortification built by Union troops after the capture of Nashville, Tennessee during the American Civil War, located approximately south of the city center. It was the largest inland fort built in the United States during the wa ...
just south of downtown. Greer served as the home of the
Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...
for 37 seasons until they left for the new First Horizon Park, then known as First Tennessee Park, located at the site of Sulphur Dell, in 2015. Greer was demolished in 2019.


Baseball parks


Sulphur Dell

*Previously: ::Sulphur Spring Park (c. 1850s–1860s) ::Athletic Park (1870–1907) *Home of: ::
Nashville Americans The Nashville Americans were a minor league baseball team that played in the Class B Southern League from 1885 to 1886. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Sulphur Spring Park, later known as Sulphur Dell. ...
Southern League (1885–1886) ::
Nashville Blues The Nashville Blues were a minor league baseball team that played in the Southern League in 1887. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Sulphur Spring Park, later known as Sulphur Dell. Managed by George B ...
– Southern League (1887) ::
Nashville Tigers The Nashville Tigers were a minor league baseball team that played in the Class B (baseball), Class B Southern League (1885–1899), Southern League from 1893 to 1894. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Athle ...
– Southern League (1893–1894) :: Nashville Seraphs – Southern League (1895) :: Nashville Centennials
Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...
(1897) :: Nashville VolsSouthern Association (1901–1961) /
South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...
(1963) :: Nashville Standard Giants/Elite Giants – independent (1920–1928) ::
Nashville Stars The Nashville Stars were a professional basketball team that played in the World Basketball League (WBL) in 1991. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. Prior to arriving in Na ...
Negro Major League The Negro Major League (NML), also called the Negro Major Baseball League of America, was one of the several Negro baseball leagues created during the time organized baseball was segregated. The NML was organized in 1942 by Abe Saperstein and Sy ...
(1942) :: Nashville Black Vols/CubsNegro Southern League (1945–1951) *Location: The block bounded by present-day Jackson Street, Fourth Avenue North, Harrison Street, and Fifth Avenue North, just north of the Tennessee State Capitol; 900 Fifth Avenue North () *Orientation: ::Home plate in northeast corner of block facing southwest (1884–1926) ::Home plate in southwest corner of block facing northeast (1927–1963) *Opened: c. 1850s; grandstand erected in 1885 *Closed: 1963 *Demolished: 1969 Sulphur Spring Park, as
Sulphur Dell Sulphur Dell, formerly known as Sulphur Spring Park and Athletic Park, was a baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It was located just north of the Tennessee State Capitol building in the block bounded by modern-day Jackson Street, ...
was first known, was located in a bottomland, or
dell Dell is an American based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies. Dell sells personal computers (PCs), servers, data ...
, which was used by early settlers for trading and watering at a natural
sulphur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...
spring. In the 1850s, a portion of the land was re-purposed for baseball. By 1870, the baseball grounds were referred to as "Athletic Park". In 1885, a wooden grandstand was built at the corner of modern-day Fourth Avenue North and Jackson Street to accommodate fans of the
Nashville Americans The Nashville Americans were a minor league baseball team that played in the Class B Southern League from 1885 to 1886. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Sulphur Spring Park, later known as Sulphur Dell. ...
, who were charter members of the original Southern League. Several other minor league teams followed the Americans, but the ballpark's longest tenant was the Southern Association's Nashville Vols, who played there from 1901 to 1963. Sportswriter Grantland Rice started referring to the ballpark as "Sulphur Spring Dell" in 1908, which he later shortened to "Sulphur Dell". The original grandstand was situated with home plate facing the southwest toward the Tennessee State Capitol building. Consequently, batters would often have to compete with the afternoon sunlight shining in their eyes. After the 1926 season, the entire ballpark was demolished and rebuilt as a concrete-and-steel structure with home plate in the southwest corner facing northeast along Fourth Avenue North. Sulphur Dell's infamous outfield was born out of this realignment. The second configuration included a significant "terrace" or sloping outfield: a steep incline that ran along the entire outfield wall, most dramatically in right and center fields. In its prime, Sulphur Dell was nestled in an area that was home to the city's garbage dump, stockyards, and various warehouses. The Vols left after the conclusion of the 1963 season. Amateur baseball teams played there in 1964, and it was converted to a
speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta *Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a motor raceway in Speedway, Indiana Types of races and race cours ...
for three weeks in 1965. The stadium then served as a tow-in lot for Metro Nashville, before being demolished on April 16, 1969. Until 2014, it was the location of a number of parking lots used by state employees. In 2015, the city built
First Tennessee Park First Horizon Park, formerly known as First Tennessee Park, is a baseball park in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The home of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds of the International League, it opened on April 17, 2015, and can sea ...
on the site.


Greenwood Park

*Home of: Nashville Standard/Elite Giants independent (1920–1928) *Location: The northeast corner of Spence Lane and Elm Hill Pike, across from Greenwood Cemetery () *Opened: 1905 *Closed: 1949 Greenwood Park, established in 1905, was a public park for Nashville's black community. In addition to picnic space, amusement riders, and a swimming pool, the grounds were home to a baseball diamond used by the independent Nashville Standard/Elite Giants from 1920 to 1928 and other
Negro league 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 ...
teams. The park was demolished after its 1949 closure.


Tom Wilson Park

*Home of:
Nashville Elite Giants Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
– independent (1929) / Negro National League (1930) / Negro Southern League (1932) / Negro National League (1933–1934) *Location: Near the convergence of Second and Fourth Avenues, just north of the fairgrounds (Historical marker at ) *Opened: 1929 *Closed: 1946
Tom Wilson Park Tom Wilson Park is a former Negro league baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee, that opened in 1929 and closed in 1946. The ballpark has since been demolished. Park history The ballpark, owned by Thomas T. Wilson, was centrally located in what ...
was located in what was at the time Nashville's largest black community, known as Trimble Bottom, near the convergence of Second and Forth Avenues, just north of the fairgrounds. It opened in 1929 to serve as the home park for owner Thomas T. Wilson's
Nashville Elite Giants Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, a
Negro league 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 ...
team which competed in several circuits from 1929 to 1930 and 1932 to 1934. The ballpark also served as a
spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...
site for other Negro league teams. Wilson discontinued all baseball activities at the park in 1946, and it was later demolished.


Herschel Greer Stadium

*Home of: ::
Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...
Southern League (1978–1984) /
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 ...
(1985–1997) /
Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
(1998–2014) :: Nashville Xpress – Southern League (1993–1994) *Location: The foot of St. Cloud Hill on the grounds of
Fort Negley Fort Negley was a fortification built by Union troops after the capture of Nashville, Tennessee during the American Civil War, located approximately south of the city center. It was the largest inland fort built in the United States during the wa ...
; 534 Chestnut Street () *Orientation: Home plate faced southeast *Opened: 1978 *Closed: 2014 *Demolished: 2019
Herschel Greer Stadium Herschel Greer Stadium was a Minor League Baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee, on the grounds of Fort Negley, an American Civil War fortification, approximately south of the city's downtown district. The facility closed at the end of the 20 ...
, located on the grounds of
Fort Negley Fort Negley was a fortification built by Union troops after the capture of Nashville, Tennessee during the American Civil War, located approximately south of the city center. It was the largest inland fort built in the United States during the wa ...
, an
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
fortification, was opened in 1978 for the
Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...
, an expansion franchise of the Double-A Southern League who moved to the Triple-A
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 ...
in 1985 and to the Triple-A
Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
in 1998. The facility closed at the end of the 2014 baseball season, after which the Sounds left for the new
First Tennessee Park First Horizon Park, formerly known as First Tennessee Park, is a baseball park in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The home of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds of the International League, it opened on April 17, 2015, and can sea ...
. Greer remained deserted for over four years until its demolition in 2019. Amidst the Sounds' 37-season run, Greer simultaneously hosted two professional baseball clubs in 1993 and 1994, acting as a temporary home to a displaced Southern League franchise known during that period as the Nashville Xpress. They were named for the railroad tracks located just beyond the right-center field wall to the stadium's east-southeast. Greer was best recognized by its distinctive guitar-shaped scoreboard, which measured across, high, and deep.


First Horizon Park

*Previously: ::First Tennessee Park (2015–2019) *Home of:
Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...
Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...
(2015–2020) /
Triple-A East The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ( ...
(2021) /
International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...
(2022–present) *Location: Between Third and Fifth Avenues downtown, just north of the Tennessee State Capitol; 19
Junior Gilliam James William "Junior" Gilliam (October 17, 1928 – October 8, 1978) was an American second baseman, third baseman, and coach (baseball), coach in Negro league baseball, Negro league and Major League Baseball who spent his entire major league car ...
Way () *Orientation: Home plate faces southeast *Opened: 2015 First Horizon Park, located downtown on the site of the former
Sulphur Dell Sulphur Dell, formerly known as Sulphur Spring Park and Athletic Park, was a baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It was located just north of the Tennessee State Capitol building in the block bounded by modern-day Jackson Street, ...
, is the second ballpark used by the Nashville Sounds, who relocated from Greer Stadium in 2015. The $91 million stadium has a fixed seating capacity of 8,500 people, but can accommodate up to 10,000 with additional grass berm seating. One of First Horizon Park's most recognizable features, like Greer Stadium before it, is a guitar-shaped scoreboard beyond the right-center field wall.


See also

* History of professional baseball in Nashville, Tennessee * Lists of baseball parks


References

;Specific ;General * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baseball Parks In Nashville
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
Sports venues in Nashville, Tennessee
baseball parks A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...