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

Inscription.
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

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• Parks & Recreational Areas • Sports. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series list.

Location. 38° 37.872′ N, 90° 13.563′ W. Marker is in St. Louis, Missouri. It is in Midtown. It 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.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest,

in the Lewis & Clark Corridor,

in the Corn Belt,

and in the Great River Road Region.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Original Site of Stars Park (a few steps from 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). 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

Stars' Park image. Click for more information.

via NPR, unknown

2. Stars' Park

Historian Hits Home Run With Rare Photo Of Long-Gone Baseball Park: St. Louis Public Radio website entry:
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.
Click for more information.

as the St. Louis Giants. The Giants were an independent team until 1919 when they joined the Negro National League. The team name would change to the Stars in 1921, after a change in ownership. The Negro National League existed for only 12 years, and all teams ceased in 1931. Two National Baseball Hall of Famers that played for the Stars are not listed on here because they did not play at Stars Park: Oscar Charleston (1920-21, inducted in 1997) and Biz Mackey (1920, inducted in 2006).

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).

Note: All other sites found in searches omit the possessive apostrophe.

Also see . . . Stars Park. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on May 27, 2025, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

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

Stars' Park Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jason Voigt, March 9, 2026

4. Stars' Park Marker

New version of the marker with same text but different layout

Photographed by Jason Voigt, March 9, 2026

5. Stars' Park Marker

The area surrounding the marker had been redone in the last few years to make way for Brickline Greenway.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 1, 2020, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 543 times since then and 27 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. 4, 5. submitted on March 9, 2026, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.