Damaschke Field

Coordinates: 42°27′06″N 75°03′30″W / 42.451716°N 75.058299°W / 42.451716; -75.058299 Damaschke Field, officially Dutch Damaschke Stadium, is a sports playing field and stadium in Oneonta, New York. Primarily used for baseball, the field has been a municipal landmark for over a hundred years.

History

The original baseball field was officially opened on Memorial Day in 1905 under the name Elm Park.[1] Numerous stars from the early years of US baseball, including Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby, drew large crowds at the field for semi-pro and exposition games. A permanent steel grandstand was erected for spectators in 1938.[1]

In August 1968, the city renamed the site as Dutch Damaschke Stadium to honor local sports coach, referee, and counselor Ernest C. "Dutch" Damaschke, who had served as Oneonta's Recreation Commissioner for more than thirty years.[2] The field and stadium are administered as public facilities within Oneonta's large Neahwa Park.[3]

The site was the longtime home of the area's minor league baseball team, the Oneonta Red Sox (1966), Oneonta Yankees (1967–1998), Oneonta Tigers (1999–2009). The field has also regularly hosted the Oneonta Indians football team, the Oneonta United soccer team, and the Hartwick College baseball team.[1] It is currently the home field of the Oneonta Outlaws, a collegiate summer baseball team in the New York Collegiate Baseball League.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Old ballpark has seen the greats". The Oneonta Star. June 23, 1970. p. 11. Retrieved August 12, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Demaschke honored Wednesday". The Oneonta Star. August 26, 1968. p. 10. Retrieved August 12, 2014 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 "Oneonta's Parks". Oneonta.ny.us. Oneonta Recreation Department. 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2014.

External links

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