Clearwater in Pinellas County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Clearwater Athletic Field

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, June 25, 2016

1. Clearwater Athletic Field Marker

Inscription. In 1922, the Brooklyn Dodgers agreed to hold their spring training in Clearwater with the provision that the city would create an appropriate venue. The city broke ground on the Clearwater Athletic Field in December 1922 following the City Council’s decision to issue $25,000 in bonds to construct the field and a 2,000-seat wooden grandstand. Home plate was located at what is now the intersection of Pennsylvania Ave. and Seminole St., left field ran parallel to Palmetto St., and right field ran parallel to N. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. Players dressed in a wooden clubhouse off the third-base line, stayed downtown at the New Fort Harrison Hotel, and walked to and from practice. Professional and minor league teams that made the field their training home included the Brooklyn Dodgers (1923-32; 1936-41), Clearwater Pelicans (1924), Newark Bears (1933-35), Cleveland Indians (1942 and 1946), Clearwater Bombers professional softball (1945-54), Philadelphia Phillies (1947-54) and the Negro League Clearwater Black Sox (1952). The athletic field grandstand was destroyed by fire in 1956, but this remaining field was sometimes used

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for team practice and as a parking lot for games at nearby Jack Russell Stadium.

Erected 2015 by City of Clearwater, The Philadelphia Phillies, and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-879.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Sports. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1922.

Location. 27° 58.471′ N, 82° 47.515′ W. Marker is in Clearwater, Florida, in Pinellas County. It is on North Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue just south of Palmetto Street, on the left when traveling north. Marker is in front of the North Greenwood Recreation/Aquatic Complex. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 900 North Martin Luther King Jr Avenue, Clearwater FL 33755, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast

and on Tampa Bay.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian

Clearwater Athletic Field Marker and front of Rec Complex image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, June 25, 2016

2. Clearwater Athletic Field Marker and front of Rec Complex

Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Jack Russell Memorial Stadium (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); North Greenwood African American Memorial Cemetery (approx. half a mile away); The Seminole Bridge (approx. 0.6 miles away); Clearwater Post Office (approx. 0.7 miles away); The Old Pinellas County Courthouse (approx. one mile away); South Ward School Site (approx. 1.2 miles away); Harbor Oaks Historic District (approx. 1.4 miles away); Fort Harrison (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Clearwater.

Rec Complex Entrance Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, June 25, 2016

3. Rec Complex Entrance Sign

Credits. This page was last revised on April 13, 2017. It was originally submitted on April 12, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 750 times since then and 62 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 12, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.