The Negro Leagues
Baseball
Baseball in the African American community has a long and varied history. Restricted from participating with the white community because of segregation laws in the South and collusion among owners in the rest of the country to exclude blacks from playing in the minor and major leagues until the late 1940s, African Americans chose to create teams and associations that cultivated the skills and talents of black athletes that enhanced the quality and character of the game.
In Nashville, much of the story of players, games, and leagues prior to World War One is unknown. The National Baptists, the Methodist Publishing House, the Nashville Butchers, the North Nashville Tigers, and the Baptist Printers all played throughout the city in the early 1900s. In 1920, however, prominent black Nashville businessman Tom Wilson fielded the Nashville Standard Giants, the city's first black semi-professional team. The Standard Giants became a member of the newly formed Negro Southern League one year later. Due to it's success, Wilson opened his own stadium north of the fairgrounds in 1929 and changed the name of his organization to the Elite Giants. Eventually, he moved the team to Baltimore where they played in the Negro National League.
During the stadiums storied history, Sulphur Dell hosted both amateur and professional Negro League players and games.
Local stars, such as Norman "Turkey Stearnes, Clinton "Butch" McCord, Henry Kimbra, and Sidney Bunch, were joined by the likes of Satchel Paige, Roy Campanella, Hank Aaron, and Nashville born major leaguer Jim "Junior Gilliam to shag fly balls and wind up on the pitcher's mound at the park.
In 1932, the Negro Southern League Championship was played at Sulphur Dell between Cole's American Giants, based in Chicago, and the Nashville Elite Giants. Though Chicago won, thousanda of fans filled the stands to see some of the best baseball being played in the country, black or white.
Erected 2021.
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1920.
Location. 36° 10.289′ N, 86° 47.081′ W. Marker is in Nashville, Tennessee, in Davidson County. It is in North Capitol. It can be reached from 5th Avenue North 0.2 miles north of Harrison Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 815 5th Ave N, Nashville TN 37219, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. 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, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Grandstands (here, next to this marker); The Nashville Vols (here, next to this marker); The Sportswriters (here, next to this marker); Sulphur Dell
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 14, 2021, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 280 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 14, 2021, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
