The Shulthis Stadium Grandstand was a

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

grandstand A grandstand is a normally permanent structure for seating spectators. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap a ...

located in

Independence, Kansas Independence is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,548. It was named in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. History Independence w ...

History

It was built in 1918 by Albert W. Shulthis, and donated to the city of Independence. Shulthis was the president of many local businesses, which included the Western States Portland Cement Company, the Citizens National Bank, and the Southwestern Oil, Gas, and Coal Company. The concrete grandstand he built was a first for baseball in Kansas, and the grandstand's addition to the field created the most significant baseball stadium in the state at the time. The stadium was home to some minor league baseball teams for many years. The teams included the

Independence Producers The Independence Producers were a minor league baseball team based in Independence, Kansas, United States, that played from 1921 to 1925 and from 1928 to 1932. From 1921 to 1924, they played in the Southwestern League, and in 1925 they played in t ...

, the Independence Yankees, and the Independence Browns. The stadium was also the site for the first

night game A night game, also called a nighter, is a sporting event that takes place, completely or partially, after the local sunset. Depending on the sport, this can be done either with floodlights or with the usual low-light conditions. The term "night g ...

in the history of

Organized Baseball The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commiss ...

, which was played on April 28, 1930. The primary building materials for the grandstand were concrete and red brick. The seating capacity listed in 1923 was 2,500 people. In addition to the grandstand bleachers, the grandstand also had box seating. The enclosed space under the bleachers contained a rub and bath room, a player's club room, a ground keeper's room, a lavatory for gentleman, and a lavatory for ladies. A Spalding representative viewed the grandstand in 1921, and commented that it was one of the finest grandstands he had ever visited. The

Sioux City Packers The Sioux City Packers was the primary name of the minor league baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa playing in various seasons between 1888 and 1960. History Sioux City has a long professional baseball history. The team was known as the S ...

used the stadium for their spring training, and Major League Baseball teams like the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

played there. Shulthis Stadium was home field for many notable players.

Mickey Mantle Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...

Bill Virdon William Charles Virdon (June 9, 1931 – November 23, 2021) was an American professional baseball outfielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball (MLB). Virdon played in MLB for the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1955 t ...

Cy Blanton Darrell Elijah (Cy) Blanton (July 6, 1908 – September 13, 1945) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies. Blanton batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Blanton was a s ...

Ralph Terry Ralph Willard Terry (January 9, 1936 – March 16, 2022) was an American baseball player who played as a right-handed starting pitcher for twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Athletics, ...

, and

Glenn Wright Forest Glenn Wright (February 6, 1901 – April 6, 1984) was an American professional baseball shortstop. He played in Major League Baseball from 1924 through 1935 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Robins / Dodgers, and Chicago White Sox. Ca ...

all played for Independence. Mantle's first professional home run was at Shulthis Stadium, and it cleared the center field wall. The distance from home plate to the center field wall was 460 feet, and there is a myth that the ball landed 600 feet away on Monkey Island.

Burleigh Grimes Burleigh Arland Grimes (August 18, 1893 – December 6, 1985) was an American professional baseball player and manager, and the last pitcher officially permitted to throw the spitball. Grimes made the most of this advantage, as well as his unshav ...

, the famous spitball pitcher, was a manager for the Independence Yankees. The Independence Yankees were a Class D minor league team affiliated with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

. One of the most famous visiting players was

Satchel Paige Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction in ...

, who pitched for the

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...

at the stadium in 1954. Other visiting teams included the House of David,

Kansas City Monarchs The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri, and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 193 ...

, and the

Memphis Red Sox The Memphis Red Sox were an American Negro league baseball team that was active from 1920 to 1959. Originally named the Barber College Baseball Club, the team was initially owned and operated by Arthur P. Martin, a local Memphis barber. In the la ...

. The Kansas Preservation Alliance had listed the grandstand on their endangered places in 2014. On August 8, 2015 the Kansas Historic Sites Review Board was going to consider listing the grandstand on the National Register of Historic Places. Demolition on the grandstand started on July 28, just days before the board meeting took place. Prior to its demolition, the original grandstand was thoroughly surveyed. A new visually identical but structurally superior grandstand was constructed in 2016.

References

{{coord missing, Kansas Baseball venues in Kansas Independence, Kansas Buildings and structures in Montgomery County, Kansas