Ball Grounds
| Other Name(s) | Baseball Grounds |
|---|---|
| Type | Sports |
| Park Section | The Grove |
| Built | 1895 |
| Opened | 1895 |
| Closed | Unknown |
In its early years, local teams played games at the Ball Grounds on the Olentangy Park land.
In 1895, Milton West, manager and captain of the Columbus Base Ball Club, planned a grandstand to hold 1,800 people and bleachers for 3,000 people on the grounds and started holding games by August.[1] The grandstand and bleachers were moved to the ballpark on Schiller Street as part of a foreclosure on those structures right after being built.[2] In 1896, the cost was 10 cents$3.83 in 2025 dollars per game, and the grounds' overcrowding led to the need for repairs. It was improved and enclosed by 1904, having daily games.
Improvements were made to the grounds in 1903, and the Modern Woodmen baseball team changes its name to the Olentangy Athletic Club.[3]
In 1919, Dick Gaa managed the team.[4]
The Columbus Capitals played games in the ballpark.[5]
References
- ↑ "Boomed the Zoo." Columbus Evening Dispatch. March 20, 1895. Page 8.
- ↑ "Suit Against the Zoological Company for Work on the Bleachers, Etc." Columbus Evening Dispatch. Sept. 3, 1895. Page 9.
- ↑ "Amature Notes." Friday Columbus Dispatch. June 12, 1903. Page 11.
- ↑ "Olentangy Ready." Columbus Evening Dispatch. March 27, 1919. Page 26.
- ↑ Delphi Collected Works of Zane Grey US (Illustrated). N.p.: Delphi Classics, 2014. Accessed through Google Books. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Delphi_Collected_Works_of_Zane_Grey_US_I/