Cleveland, Ohio - August 4, 2008 - Baseball fans from around the United States have come together to start a new organization known as The League Park Society (LPS). The League Park Society is an exploratory committee of people who would like to save historic League Park in Cleveland, Ohio before the last few remaining pieces of this historic park disappear. Goals for LPS include spearheading efforts to preserve the remaining historic structures at the park and working with both public and private groups who want to rebuild the park and make it a vibrant part of Cleveland. On August 4, 2008 The League Park Society was formally incorporated in the State of Ohio as as non-profit corporation.
League Park was the home of the Cleveland baseball from 1891 until the end of 1946. Among the baseball greats that played at League Park were Cy Young, Ty Cobb, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Tris Speaker, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jo DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Ted Williams and Lou Boudreau. League Park also served as a venue for the Negro Leagues hosting the Cleveland Buckeyes. The Buckeyes were the 1945 Negro League Champions.
Jackson museum tells his life story
GREENVILLE — June 22, 2008 History is the prosecution. It wants you to remember Shoeless Joe Jackson as a know-nothing rube with $5,000 cash in hand. A crook who dared to snatch away America’s innocence at a time the country needed it most.
Arlene Marcley is the defense. She begs you to take the measure of the man by witnessing how he lived and by listening to the testimony of people he touched.
In the courtroom of popular opinion, History wants you to leave your finger on the “pause” button. Marcley simply wants you to press “play.”
All trials have their shocking exhibits and star witnesses. At 356 Field Street, Marcley presents you with her 950-square-foot Exhibit A: Jackson’s humble red-brick home.
Standing roughly 10 yards from that tiny home’s front steps, Marcley rested her case.
“He may never be reinstated to baseball or elected to the hall of fame,” said Marcley, the driving force behind the museum’s existence. “But one thing is certain: He now has a museum to tell the story of his entire life.”
Amid the fanfare of the Textile Heritage Band and the amusing stylings of the Pinch Hitters Choir, Greenville city officials and former Major League players Bobby Richardson, Lou Brissie, Billie O’Dell and Bob Bolin made their first pass through the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library.
Throughout the remainder of the day, the general public took its turn.
The verdict: “It’s a great thing they’ve done,” said Brissie, who played for the Philadelphia A’s and Cleveland after recovering from a horrific leg injury in World War II.
“They’ve come a long way in a short time,” Brissie said. “I think, long-term, it’s going to become a focal point for people who have a love of baseball. I loved it. They’ve done a tremendous job here.”
Marcley is an assistant to Greenville mayor Knox White. A few years ago, she oversaw a project to erect a statue of Jackson in Greenville’s West End. Then, in 2006, she received a call from a man named Richard Davis, who had come up with the crazy notion of moving Jackson’s home from its nondescript East Wilburn Street location to the grounds of the city’s sparkling new stadium, Fluor Field.
Davis, of Trademark Properties, did the heavy lifting and Marcley, along with a collection of Jackson fanatics, attended to the details.
Saturday, on the 100th anniversary of Joe and Kate Jackson’s wedding, Marcley yanked the cover off the museum’s greeting sign.
The museum is a collection of Jackson memorabilia and personal items. The library contains books donated by baseball aficionados across nation. Marcley’s intention is for the library to become the primary research center for the life and times of Jackson.
The museum’s centerpiece arrived shortly before its grand-opening: Jackson’s final will and testament. What makes the document special is Jackson’s signature. He was illiterate and as such, the number of his known signatures can be counted on one hand.
Within these walls, details of who Jackson was begins to emerge. It becomes apparent that, while he was illiterate, he was smart. He might have not been rich, but money wasn’t what mattered most.
That’s the exhibit. As for the star witness, Marcley offers Joe Anders, one of Jackson’s final proteges.
“At the end of a lot of my interviews, I ask if there is anyone out there who knows what he did to throw the World Series,” Anders said. “The stats certainly aren’t going to tell you.
“I can say this: Joe Jackson was one of the most generous people that you’d ever want to meet. He used to line kids up at the soda fountain and by them ice cream cones. Joe was always lending people $5 or $10.”
Standing on the fringe of the gathered crowd, the Jackson family looked on stoically. The family remains guarded in an attempt to heed Kate Jackson’s dying wish that they “let it be.”
“It’s kind of amazing to look around and see how many people feel what they feel about Joe and see what they’ve done for him,” said Joe Jackson, a great nephew of his namesake.
“As you know, Kate asked that the family just let it be. The family’s not very active,” Jackson said. “But Joe believed there was a higher power and so does my family. This may sound corny, but things happen for a reason and things always seem to work out.
“One day — I might be dead and gone — it may work out for Joe to get back in baseball and maybe get into the hall of fame,” Jackson concluded.
Brissie said he believes the museum will eventually play a role if such a day is to come.
“I think as time passes ... things are going to filter out, people are going to get access to new information and this will be a great place for them to come to,” he said. “The more that comes out about it, the more people feel like he was dealt an injustice, so I think the interest is there and I don’t think it’s ever going to die.”
A hit for League Park
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Susan Vinella
Plain Dealer Reporter
Cleveland plans to pump $5 million into the renovation of League Park, the historic ballpark in the Hough neighborhood where Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run. The renovation will cost $8.5 million, city officials said, and they hope to raise the rest of the money through private do nations.
The public money will come from the sale of bonds in 2008 and 2009 as part of Mayor Frank Jackson's five-year capital plan. It would pay to restore the ballfield with home plate in its original spot and a replica of the outfield wall. 
Plans also call for renovating the ticket house, the underground tunnel that ran from the clubhouse to the dugout and the original brick wall along East 66th Street, just north of Lexington Avenue.
The design includes seating for about 2,500 and a patio for picnics. Jackson's chief of staff, Ken Silliman, said the goal is to restore the site so youth baseball leagues and Cleveland high school teams can use it as their home field.
"The nice thing about this plan is we think it's achievable," said Paul Volpe, president of City Architecture, the firm that has twice created designs to restore the ballpark. The first pitch came in 2002 under then-Mayor Jane Campbell. She proposed at least $13 million of renovations, including a museum dedicated to the Negro League and the Indians.
The Indians won the World Series at League Park in 1920. The Cleveland Buckeyes of the old Negro League won the Negro World Series there in 1945. The new design by City Architecture does not include a stand- alone museum, although Volpe said space inside the old ticket house could be converted into a small exhibition area. Councilwoman Fannie Lewis, who represents the Hough neighborhood, has been pushing for years to restore the ballpark.
She still favors the original plan with a separate museum, and said she was unaware of a scaled-down version. She said she plans to meet with the mayor to discuss the project. "We're going to get it done one way or another," Lewis said.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
svinella@plaind.com, 216-999-5010
Cleveland to Restore Historic League Park
Submitted by Julie on Mon, 2007-06-11 10:10 - The Cleveland Leader
The city of Cleveland has announced plans to rebuild the historic League Park, the former home of the Cleveland Indians, and the place where Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run.
The project is expected to cost about $8.5 million, and of that, $5 million in funds will be raised through the sale of bonds next year and in 2009. The remaining $3.5 million is expected to be covered through private donations.
League Park opened May 1, 1891, and was located on the city's east-side in the Hough neighborhood. The park was renovated in 1910, and operated until 1946. It saw such historic moments as the Indians' 1920 World Series win, and the Cleveland Buckeyes Negro World Series win in 1945. And perhaps most famously, it was where baseball legend Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run on August 11, 1929.
Only a small portion of the old park remains today. There's an old ticket office, as well as a small section of the park's exterior brick facade along the first base side.
The city hopes to rebuild the park, keeping home plate in its original spot and adding a replica of the outfield wall. Ken Silliman, Mayor Frank Jackson's chief of staff, said that the goal is to restore the site so that youth baseball leagues and Cleveland high school teams can use it as their home field.
The ticket office will be renovated and restored to its original glory, and designers will also incorporate seating for 2,500, as well as a patio for picnics.
The latest design for the park was created by City Architecture. Paul Volpe, the company's President, said “The nice thing about this plan is we think it’s achievable.”
| Tiger Stadium Should Follow League Park's Path |
| Written by Bill Jordan |
| Sunday, 08 July 2007 |
| Cleveland's League Park, or what’s left of it, the home of the Cleveland Indians from 1901-1946 is going to be renovated in the coming year.
The City of Cleveland plans to donate $5 million,and raise the rest of the funds through donations to meet the $8.5 million total projected cost.
An original ticket window along with a wall containing bricks from the original stadium are all that remain of the ball park. The team says that they are going to try to build it to emulate the original park as much as possible just on a smaller scale.
The plan is for local high schools and colleges to be able to play their games on the field. The team also claims that an exhibition game involving the Indians might be played there once it has been renovated. The game will probably be between the Indians and one of their local minor league clubs, probably their AA affiliate, the Akron Aeros.
League Park, known as Dunn Field from 1916-1927, was the home of the Indians when they won the 1920 World Series. Located on the west side of Cleveland, the stadium is in a down trodden area of the city. The team hopes that renovating the stadium will some how put life back into that part of the city.
Meanwhile, another piece of ballpark history teeters on the edge of demolition.
Many believe that a renovation similar to League Park should occur at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan. The ballpark, known as Navin Field from 1912-1927 and Briggs Stadium from 1938-1960, was the home of the Tigers from 1912-1999.
The debate has lingered as to whether or not to tear the stadium down for almost a decade. With the once dominant piece of architecture now rendered useless by some, city leaders have focused on redevelopment of a non-baseball ilk – condos, as opposed to a ballpark renovation such as what is occurring in Cleveland with League Park.
The stadium at Michigan and Trumbull recently has seen a reprieve of sorts as the City Planning Commission recently declined to recommend approval for proposed redevelopment plans for the historic facility.
The cost of the entire down town development project for that area is $2.9 million, that will have 90 new residential units. There will also be 30,000 square feet of commercial space built in the area as part of the project.
Detroit’s civic leaders should look to the League Park renovation, as opposed to condemning Tiger Stadium to the wrecking ball. Cleveland sees the value in ballpark history, and Detroit should do the same.
Coincidentally, League Park is where Babe Ruth hit his 500th homerun and Tiger Stadium is where he blasted his 700th. Four different people earned their 3,000th hits in the respected locations including Tris Speaker in Cleveland and Ty Cobb in Detroit. It is because of these reasons and many more that people of both cities want to see the parks renewed and once again used for what they were built.
Bill Jordan is a staff member of The Biz of Baseball.
More Info on the upcoming League Park restoration project:
League Park may glisten once again - Restoration project is in the making for old Tribe ballpark
League Park Articles from the Plain Dealer in the 1990's:
GROUP MARKS LEAGUE PARK ANNIVERSARY
[FINAL / ALL Edition]
The Plain Dealer - Cleveland, Ohio
September 21, 1996
The Society of American Baseball Research will hold an informal ceremony at 1:30 p.m. today in League Park, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Indians' final game there.
The Tribe ended a 36-year run in the park at E.66th St. and Lexington Ave. on Sept.21, 1946, losing, 5-3, in 11 innings to the Detroit Tigers in front of 2,472.
The final game in League Park created little excitement, probably because the Indians had been using it only for weekday games for the last several years. Sunday and night games were played in the Stadium.
When Bill Veeck bought the Indians in 1946, he decided to transfer all the games to the Stadium because it had a bigger seating capacity. League Park could seat only about 22,500, and the Stadium held more than 80,000 in those days. BOB DOLGAN
Broken-down field of dreams Cleveland's League Park is 100 years old today
The Plain Dealer - Cleveland, Ohio
May 1, 1991
Some sports stadia require 100 years just to get broken in.
Pompeii, Italy, and Pula, Yugoslavia, have arenas that are 2,000 years old and are still in such good condition you could have a Christians vs. Lions match in them today.
That couldn't happen in America, where 50-year-old buildings are candidates for the wrecker's ball.
The late, lamented League Park, born 100 years ago today, is an infant compared to the Pompeii and Pula arenas. Yet, it has all but disappeared. Only the ghosts and a few reminders are left of the place at E. 66th St. and Lexington Ave. that was home to Cleveland's professional baseball teams for 55 years.
There are still some people around who are determined not to let the memory of League Park die, however.
Today at 12:45 p.m., a century to the day after Cy Young pitched the Cleveland Spiders to a 12-3 victory over the Cincinnati Redlegs in League Park's first game, a small group will gather there to honor the occasion.
Morris Eckhouse and Allen Pfenninger, two Clevelanders who head the Society for American Baseball Research, have planned a ceremony. The public is welcome. "We felt it would be a shame not to do anything," said Eckhouse, national executive director of SABR.
Former Indians pitcher Bob Feller said he will attend and will throw pitches from the site of the old mound. Former Indians pitcher Mel Harder also has been invited. A proclamation from Mayor Michael R. White will be read. A member of the Indians' front office staff, probably public relations director Bob DiBiasio, will be on hand.
It will be all over in about 15 minutes.
The park looks much different than it did in its heyday. Graffiti defaces every part of what is left of the wall down the right-field line. A small portion of the right-field stands remains, but the concrete is cracked and in disrepair. Broken glass and garbage contribute to the mess.
In 1979, a movement was begun to raise $250,000 to restore the old park to some semblance of dignity, but nothing came of it.
Eckhouse is not giving up on the idea. "If the place can be made relatively safe, I would like to see the grandstand hollowed out and a small museum established inside," he said.
The rest of the League Park site is a playground and recreation center. It has two nice baseball diamonds, a swimming pool and basketball court.
The Indians' old offices are still standing. They house the League Park Center, a recreation building funded by United Way.
The building has locks on it. Even the doors inside have locks.
Yvonnne Williamson, the center's administrative assistant, said she was robbed at gunpoint about 15 years ago. She said there have been break-ins, and told of a rape near the grandstand about three months ago.
Tris Speaker, Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, who played at League Park, could not have dreamed of such occurrences in the days when they were hitting line drives there.
It was different 100 years ago. At that time, the Cleveland baseball team, called the Spiders, was owned by Fred DeHaas Robison, who also owned a streetcar line.
According to newspaper reports, when lightning damaged the Spiders' park between Payne Ave. and Superior Ave., Robison decided to build the new park on Lexington. His streetcars would drop fans off 20 feet from the park's gates.
The park was christened "League Park" because at that time, "league" meant the same thing as "hardball" does today.
The biggest game in the history of League Park came on Oct. 2, 1908, when Cleveland's Addie Joss pitched a perfect game to defeat Chicago's 40-game winner, Ed Walsh, 1-0, in the heat of a storied pennant race.
After the 1909 season, League Park was dismantled. The wooden grandstand, which seated 10,000, was replaced by a concrete and steel grandstand that seated 23,000. That was the park so many Clevelanders still remember.
Its distinguishing feature was the right-field wall, which was 290 feet from home plate. The wall was 20 feet high with a 20-foot screen above that.
It was a haven for doubles hitters. George Burns hit 64 for the Indians there in 1926. Speaker, long-time player-manager of the Indians, still holds the major-league career record for doubles, 793.
The Indians lost the first game played in the expanded park, 5-0, to Detroit on April 21, 1910.
The crowning event of the new League Park was the 1920 World Series in which the Indians defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers. The fifth game of that series, played at League Park, is one of the most famous in baseball history.
That was the game in which Indians second baseman Bill Wambsganss completed the only unassisted triple play in Series history; Elmer Smith, Indians right fielder, hit the first grand slam in Series history; and the Indians' Jim Bagby hit the first home run by a pitcher in Series history.
Former pitcher Al Milnar, a Cleveland native who won 54 games for the Indians from 1936-42, echoed the feelings of many long-time fans when he said, "League Park was a homey place. The stands were so close, you could hear the fans whisper your name when you were on the field."
The park was in the middle of a residential neighborhood, its contours dictated by the demands of real estate.
"There was a school (Dunham) on one side of it and a tavern on another side," Eckhouse said. "The park was a part of the community in a way the Stadium has not been. Cleveland will never see its duplicate."
People sat on the roof of the Andrews Storage Building, next to Dunham School, and watched games for free.
Milnar said there was hardly any parking. Visiting players used to take a streetcar to the park.
Children would get into games for free if they returned balls that were hit over the fence onto Lexington.
There was an opening under the right-field fence where small boys would lie on their stomachs to watch the games. "We would talk to them during practice," said Milnar. "They would ask us for baseballs."
The right-field fence was a source of never-ending action. Milnar recalls that balls hit there might bounce straight up, to the right or to the left. Sometimes, they would carom back to the second baseman.
League Park has grown in significance since its funeral.
There was no expression of sorrow or regret when the Indians played their last game there on Sept. 21, 1946, losing to the Detroit Tigers, 5-3. Nobody held a ceremony. The players and fans switched to the Stadium, where for years the Indians had played Sunday and holiday games, without a backward look.
In the intervening years, however, League Park has become the subject of hundreds of sentimental newspaper and magazine articles.
Yet there are many younger people who know nothing of its history. Marzett Sweet, 38, a long-time resident of the Hough area, is one of them. He was encountered the other day as he walked across League Park's old outfield, in the footsteps of Speaker, Ruth and Cobb.
"I used to play muny football here," said Sweet, who was amazed to hear that the Indians once played in League Park. "I never knew that."
"Yep, the World Series was played right on this field in 1920," a visitor said.
"Well, I'll be darned," said Sweet. "I'm glad to know that. I'll tell other people about that."
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