Photograph as originally submitted to this page in the Historical Marker Database www.HMdb.org. Click on photo to resize in browser. Scroll down to see metadata.

Photographer: Mike Wintermantel
Taken: September 25, 2012
Caption: Early Baseball in Pittsburgh
Additional Description: Part of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail
Pittsburgh's great baseball tradition began here more than a century ago. Pittsburgh and Allegheny (now the North Side) were twin cities that played out their local rivalry through "turf sports." The first ball park was an exhibition ground built in 1875 as part of the Tradesmen's Industrial Institute, later Exposition Park.

A distastrous fire in 1883 destroyed Exposition Park's buildings, but the field re-openede for baseball. From these early games, the Pittsburgh Pirates were formed in 1891. The Pirates became one of the nation's most important and successful teams, winning the National League Pennant three years in a row between 1901 and 1903. The first World Series was held in Pittsburgh and Boston in 1903. Hall-of-Famers Honus Wagner and Cy Young were among the players.

In 1909, the Pirates defeated the Chicago Cubs in the last game played in Exposition Park on the North Side.

Baseball fans stood for Taps at the end of the last play before the team moved to a new ballpark in Oakland called Forbes Field.
Submitted: September 25, 2012, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Database Locator Identification Number: p220916
File Size: 1.050 Megabytes

To see the metadata that may be embedded in this photo, sign in and then return to this page.