Handlan's Park is a former

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

ground located in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. The ground was home to the St. Louis Terriers of the

Federal League The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...

in 1914 and 1915, and was also known as Federal League Park. After the Federal League folded, it was used as the St. Louis University Athletic Field, and was also known as High School Field in the 1920s. During that period, the local Sumner High School and Lincoln University baseball clubs held an annual Decoration Day contest there. The St. Louis Giants of the Negro National League played some games there in 1920 and 1921, although that club had its own park on North Broadway.Federal League Park (St. Louis) entry on The Baseball Biography Project
/ref> Surrounded by Grand Avenue on the west, Laclede Avenue on the north, Theresa Avenue to the east, and Clark Avenue to the south, the space used for the park was owned by Alexander H. Handlan. The head of an international railway supply house, Handlan-Buck Manufacturing, Handlan operated a private park at the site aptly named Handlan's Park. The field's location was about a quarter-mile northwest of the site of

Red Stocking Baseball Park Red Stocking Base-Ball Park or Compton Avenue Park was a baseball grounds in St. Louis, Missouri. It was home to the St. Louis Red Stockings of the National Association (NA) during the 1875 season, so it is considered a major league ballpark by ...

from the 1870s. The seating capacity of 15,000 comprised the grandstand at the southeast corner of Laclede and Grand, the pavilion situated near Grand and Clark, and bleachers stretching behind center field between two rows of houses, which were barricaded by tall wooden fences. Home plate was centered in front of the grandstand at Grand and Laclede. Most sources give the playing field's dimensions as for left, for center and for right field. The park was held by the Handlan family until it was finally sold to St. Louis University in 1961. The St. Louis Chapter of the

Society for American Baseball Research The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a membership organization dedicated to fostering the research and dissemination of the history and statistical record of baseball. The organization was founded in Cooperstown, New York, on Au ...

(SABR) placed a marker at the site of Handlan's Park, now on the campus of

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

, on October 17, 2007.

Gallery

File:Handlan's Park St Louis plan published 1914 01 30.jpg, Rough plan for Federal League play at Handlan's Park, 1914 File:Handlan Park St Louis 1908 Sanborn map.jpg, Handlan's Park as it looked in 1908, with approximate 1914 diamond layout added

References

External links

A writeup on Federal League arrangements of Handlan's Park
Defunct baseball venues in the United States Defunct college football venues Federal League venues Saint Louis Billikens football American football venues in Missouri Baseball venues in St. Louis Defunct sports venues in Missouri Former buildings and structures in St. Louis Demolished sports venues in Missouri {{StLouis-sport-stub