McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I., home of the Pawtucket Red Sox
(International League), was built as a WPA project and opened in 1942 as
Hammond Pond Stadium. This project has an interesting history. It was built
on the site of Hammond Pond (actually a swamp, which had to be filled), and
legend has it that several politically connected contractors made a lot of
money on the project.

It was intended to be called Hammond Pond Stadium, but around the time
it opened, Pawtucket Mayor Thomas P. McCoy died and it was renamed in memory
of him. During World War II, it was home to the Pawtucket Slaters of the
semipro New England League. Many of the players in the league were major
leaguers in the service stationed in the area (Yogi Berra, Gus Niarhos,
Randy Gumpert, Art Mahan spring to mind). They all played under assumed
names.

After the war ended, the New England League was reconstituted as a
Class B minor league, and the Slaters were a Boston Braves farm team. The
league lasted from 1946 to 1949, when it folded, largely because of
competition from televised Braves and Red Sox games. As it had since it
opened, the stadium continued to be the site of high school baseball and
football games. Professional baseball returned in 1966 when the Cleveland
Indians moved their Eastern League team to Pawtucket as the Pawtucket
Indians. Cleveland moved out after two years. In 1970, the Red Sox moved
their Double-A Eastern League team in (Pawtucket Red Sox) and in 1973 the
team became an International League franchise, which it has remained ever
since.

The original stadium had a seating capacity of 7,000. To bring it up
to International League standards, the city of Pawtucket and the team
arranged financing with the state and added grandstand and bleacher seats.
The capacity is now about 10,000, and the team is among the leaders in minor
league attendance every year.

Len Levin





>From: "John Kaup" <kaupjohn@...>
>Reply-To: SABRballparks@yahoogroups.com
>To: SABRballparks@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: RE: [SABRballparks] Minor League Parks Built by WPA
>Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2007 07:53:28 -0700
>
>Lane Field in San Diego was built by the WPA; the last season played there
>was 1957 and in the 1960s it was torn down. I don't know what ever became
>of the WPA plaque, but in 2003 the Ted Williams Chapter of SABR had a
>marker
>put on the site.
>
>Last year when I was in Newport, Rhode Island, I noted that at Cardines
>Field some of the grandstand had been built by the WPA. (I have a picture
>for anyone who is interested.)
>
>-John Kaup.
>
>
> >From: "Kevin McCann" <kdmccann27@...>
> >Reply-To: SABRballparks@yahoogroups.com
> >To: SABRballparks@yahoogroups.com
> >Subject: [SABRballparks] Minor League Parks Built by WPA
> >Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2007 12:09:22 -0000
> >
> >The chairman of the Minor League Committee has released the following
> >request I thought would be of interest to the Ballpark Committee:
> >
> >Hello All,
> >
> >We are compiling a list of all the old ballparks built by the WPA (Works
> >Progress Administration). This was under the Roosevelt administration
> >and the period is approximately 1934 -1941. Many of the structures had
> >WPA identifying plaques near the cornerstone or side of the building.
> >If you have any knowledge of one of these in your area, please let me
> >know.
> >
> >All the Best,
> >John Schleppi
> >john.schleppi@...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
>
>_________________________________________________________________
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