Camac Woods
| Location | Philadelphia, PA, United States |
|---|---|
| Modern Address | 12th St. and Montgomery |
| Tags | |
| Description | Shiffert, "Base Ball in Philadelphia" says the Olympic Club (1857) and later the Minerva used these grounds, and that they were at 17th and Columbia (now, Cecil b. Moore)--which is to the west of the 12th and Berks location given below. The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 19, 1860, lists the city's BBCs and where they play. The Athletic and Olympic played at Camac's Woods. For more on Camac Woods, see http://www.philaplace.org/story/759/ which says cricket was played there, and it was centered on modern 12th and Berks. A photo of it (showing a picket rail fence) is at https://digital.librarycompany.org/islandora/object/digitool%3A100589 Camac's Woods had an "enclosure" and gates, and public events such as a picnic and balloon ascension were held there, with tickets being sold. See the Philadelphia Ledger, June 18, Aug. 19, 1859. It can be assumed that the 1860 baseball games played there were played within the enclosure. Query whether tickets were sold. Casway says this was the first enclosed ballfield. While there was certainly a fence around it, the photo linked to below shows this was a low fence not intended to shut the public out. The Woods was used as a Union army camp ground and hospital during the war. By 1865 it had been turned into a housing development. |
| Sources | Shiffert, "Base Ball in Philadelphia" Jerrold Casway, "Locating Philadelphia's Historic Ballfields" at https://sabr.org/journal/article/locating-philadelphias-historic-ballfields/ |
| Comment | The linked-to article giving the 12th and Berks/Montgomery location contradicts Shiffert's placing of the woods where the Athletics later played. Jerrold Casway's article in SABR 50 at 50 locates Camac's Woods at 12th and Montgomery. The New York Clipper, May 24, 1862, lists the home grounds of various Philadelphia clubs. The Olympic, Adriatic and Atlantic are based at Camac's. Edit with form to add a comment |
| Query | Edit with form to add a query |
| Found by | Bruce Allardice |
| Submission Note | |
| Entered by | Bruce Allardice |
Clubs
| Club | Years | Edit Association with Field |
|---|---|---|
| Athletic Club of Philadelphia | 1860 | |
| Minerva Base Ball Club of Philadelphia | 1857 | |
| Olympic Club of Philadelphia | 1857 and on |
Games
Comments
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