|
AVENUE GROUNDS
|
|
|
|
YEARS ACTIVE |
1876 - 1879 |
|
LOCATION |
Monmouth Street (N) |
|
|
Alabama Street (S) |
|
|
Baltimore & Ohio
Railroad (E) |
|
|
Mill Creek (W) |
|
SEATING CAPACITY |
4,000 |
|
OTHER NAMES USED |
Base Ball Park |
|
|
Brighton Park |
|
|
Chester Avenue Grounds |
|
WHAT IS THERE NOW |
CSX Railroad Company |
|
PHOTOS |
Then
Now |
|
 |
|
|
|
Avenue Grounds was home to the second
incarnation of the Cincinnati Reds. The ballpark was located four
miles north of the city of Cincinnati,
situated in the flood plain of the Mill
Creek. Because the ballpark was a
distant reach from downtown, patrons
relied on riding special trains that
departed from the Plum Street depot or
by hopping on the very long and tedious
horse-drawn street cars. Once arriving
at the ballpark, carriages traveling
along Monmouth Street could enter a gate
located at the centerfield fence. Up to
200 carriages could park between the
outfield fences and the Mill Creek.
Avenue Grounds was complete with a
clubhouse and refreshment stands located
underneath the main grandstand. Square
pavilions and bleachers extended
partially down both foul lines on each
end of the grandstand. Both the
bleachers and the grandstand were about
eight feet above the baseball field and
were entirely made of wood.
The ballpark faced northwest with the
field sloping downhill away from home
plate for drainage purposes. The field
itself was peculiar in shape with a deep
left and center field. Both sloped down
towards the Mill Creek. Due to Monmouth
Street's close proximity right field was
very shallow. It was so shallow, in
fact, that a high fence was built to
prevent an overabundance of baseballs
from being hit out of the ballpark.
The NL Cincinnati Reds called
Avenue Grounds their home for four
seasons before vacating the park. They
were the only major league team to play
there. Avenue Grounds still played host
to amateur baseball until the turn of
the century, and it remains unclear when
the park was eventually demolished. The
old Avenue Grounds site is located
directly behind the present-day
Hillshire Farms & the Kahn's Company
building, towards the Mill Creek. The
CSX Railroad Company currently owns the
former ballpark site, which is now
completely consumed by railroad tracks
and is inaccessible by the general
public.
An interest little fact about the Avenue
Grounds is that the park was home to the
first home run hit in National League
history. On May 2nd 1876, Cincinnati
Reds' pitcher Cherokee Fisher gave up a
fifth inning bomb which cleared the left
field fences to Chicago White Stockings'
Ross Barnes. Reds' center fielder
Charley Jones followed with a Reds home
run in the seventh inning. |
|
|
|
|
|
|