Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Baseball has been around for a long time. Baseball parks, not as long. Baseball was first played in whatever space was available--race tracks, polo fields, cricket fields, parade fields, etc. It wasn't until around 1860 that the idea began to form that it would be expedient to have a ballpark and profit from it.

The first such ballpark, enclosed with stands and requiring an admission charge, is credited to William Cammeyer. He was a Brooklyn businessman and a politician. He purchased six acres of land and first built a skating rink but in 1862 made it into an enclosed ballpark with stands. Admission charge was 10 cents according to one report.

There were other ballparks that may or may not have been first but it was obvious that in the 1860s baseball was finding homes for their teams to play in. This all happening at a time when our country was embroiled in the Civil War. Check out the article on the Society For American Baseball Research to learn more.

By the way, I read that there was a covered area over a part of the stands for ladies to watch the game.