Midtown in St. Louis, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Stars' Park
Negro National League Baseball Played Here
— 1922-1931 —
Photographed By Jason Voigt, January 1, 2020
1. Negro National League Baseball Played Here Marker
A baseball park built for the Negro National League St. Louis Stars Stood on these Grounds
First professional baseball park in the United States of America owned exclusively by African Americans - built for the Negro National League St. Louis Stars - Originally called the giants, the club moved to this site from a park on North Broadway in St. Louis
Negro National League Champions in 1928 and 1930
James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell played centerfield for the Stars 1922-1931 - He was inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974
George "Mule" Suttles played five different positions for the Stars 1926-1931 - He was inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006
Willie Wells played shortstop for the Stars 1924-1931 - He was inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997
Dedicated on May 2, 2007 by the Bob Broeg Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) with permission of Harris-Stowe State University - Funding provided by the SABR chapter treasury and contributions from individual SABR members
Erected 2007 by Bob Broeg Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans
this page online
Location. 38° 37.872′ N, 90° 13.563′ W. Marker is in St. Louis, Missouri. It is in Midtown. Marker is on Market Street, 0.1 miles east of South Compton Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Marker is in front of an athletic field on the grounds of Harris-Stowe State University (Givens Campus), which is an HBCU. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3100 Market Street, Saint Louis MO 63103, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Red Stockings' Park (approx. ¼ mile away); Camp Jackson (approx. ¼ mile away); Long Roads To Freedom (approx. 0.3 miles away); Moon Building (approx. 0.4 miles away); Dodge-Reo Building (approx. 0.4 miles away); Locomobile Building (approx. 0.4 miles away); Stearns-Knight Building (approx. 0.4 miles away); Durant-Star Building (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Louis.
Regarding Stars' Park. The St. Louis Stars Negro League baseball team dates back to 1906, when they played as the St. Louis Giants.
via NPR, unknown
2. Stars' Park
This image is believed to be the only known image of the old Stars Park that stood in St. Louis in the 1920s and early 1930s.
The stadium opened on July 9, 1922. St. Louis Mayor Henry Kiel threw the first pitch, and the Stars would lose 4-0 against the Indianapolis A.B.C.'s. The ballpark held a capacity of 10,000. For several decades, the ballpark was widely known to not have any surviving photographs, until 2016 when a historian was going through someone's old items (see link below).
Also see . . . Historian Hits Home Run With Rare Photo of Long-Gone Baseball Park. NPR St. Louis website entry (Submitted on January 1, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)
Photographed By Jason Voigt, January 1, 2020
3. Negro National League Baseball Played Here Marker
Marker is shown in front of where Stars' Park once stood
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 1, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 223 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 1, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. 2. submitted on June 14, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3. submitted on January 1, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
