May 17, 2012

Baseball

Located at Russell E. Diethrick, Jr. Park, 285 Falconer Street

Jamestown enjoys a long heritage of baseball. Organized baseball has been played here since the Civil War. It continues today with professional, semi-pro and amateur teams calling the Jamestown area "home base." Players from the area have gone on to the Major Leagues and World Series games.

Empty fields and city parks accommodated the early teams. Celoron Park and Allen Park had ball fields that served the area before Municipal Stadium (now Russell E. Diethrick, Jr. Park) was opened in 1941. Early Major League teams and barnstorming teams played exhibition games at available ball fields. Amateurs and semi-pros continue to play here and in recent years Diethrick Park has hosted college tournament teams and Babe Ruth World Series teams from around the country. Jamestown has been a part of the Major League farm club system for close to fifty years.

Baseball could not have flourished here without the interest of the community- the fans. For almost 150 years, the Jamestown area has been involved and interested in baseball.

BASEBALL
AN ENDURING PART OF JAMESTOWN'S HERITAGE THIS MARKER RECOGNIZES THE BASEBALL PLAYERS AND SPECTATORS OF YESTERYEAR AND SALUTES THE PRESENT AND FUTURE PLAYERS AND FANS.