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Tom Wilson Park

Tom Wilson Park
Map
Full nameTom Wilson Park
LocationNashville, Tennessee
United States
Coordinates36°8.718′N 86°45.864′W / 36.145300°N 86.764400°W / 36.145300; -86.764400
OwnerThomas T. Wilson
Capacity4,000 or 8,000
SurfaceGrass
Opened1929
Closed1946
Tenants
Nashville Elite Giants (Indp./NNL1/NSL/NNL2) 1929–1930, 1932–1934

Tom Wilson Park is a former Negro league baseball park in Nashville, Tennessee, that opened in 1929 and closed in 1946.[1] The ballpark has since been demolished.[1]

Park history

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The ballpark, owned by Thomas T. Wilson, was centrally located in what was at the time Nashville's largest black community, known as Trimble Bottom, near the convergence of Second and Fourth Avenues, just north of the fairgrounds.[2] The 8,000 (or 4,000)[2] seat facility featured a single-decked, covered grandstand.[3] It was one of only three Negro league venues that was built by the team owner specifically for the Negro league team.[4] In 1946, Wilson resigned and discontinued all ball activities at Wilson Park.[1]

Tenants

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Wilson Park was home to the Negro league Nashville Elite Giants baseball team who played in the first Negro National League, the first Negro Southern League, and the second Negro National League.[2] In addition to hosting the home games of Wilson's Elite Giants, the ballpark also served as a spring training site for other Negro league teams, as well as white-only minor league teams, such as the Southern Association's Nashville Vols. Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Roy Campanella are known to have played at the park.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Tom Wilson Park Marker". The Historical Marker Database. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Nipper, Skip (October 18, 2013). "Tom Wilson and the Nashville Elite Giants". 262 Down Right. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Healey, Paul. "Tom Wilson Park". Project Ballpark. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
  4. ^ Lowry, Philip J. (2006). Green Cathedrals: The Ultimate Celebration of Major League and Negro League Ballparks. New York: Walker Publishing Company, Inc. p. 140. ISBN 0-8027-1562-1.