This picture and article dated 7/27/1931 promotes the upcoming game between the famed House of David team against the Gloversville Eagles at Parkhurst Field.
Discover Parkhurst
Parkhurst Field opened on July 12, 1906 as the A.,J.&G Baseball Park and home of the professional New York State League’s JAGs (Johnstown-Amsterdam-Gloversville), the Park was owned by the F.J.&G. Railroad and would become a popular stop on railroad line (now the Rail Trail) located just beyond the left field wall of the grounds.
‘JAG’ Park was designed by F.L. Comstock and built by E.A. Satterlee for $3,088 on six acres of land leased from C.W. Judson on Harrison Street, midway between Gloversville and Johnstown, NY. Sam Lucas, a Gloversville native, built the actual baseball diamond and later was asked to take charge of the NY Giant’s Polo Grounds and also built the grounds at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh in 1909.
JAG’ Park once featured a grandstand which accommodated 1500 spectators and its location was convenient for MLB players and many of the world’s premier teams to play barnstorming exhibition games….
The Boston (Red Sox) Americans played a game here en route to Detroit on July 5, 1907 with their player/manager, Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young.
On July 24, 1907, Hall of Fame great Honus Wagner and the Pittsburgh (Pirates) Nationals played on these grounds.
Joe Birmingham, a player on the JAG’s 1906 team, went on to play for the Cleveland (Indians) Naps and eventually managed “Shoeless” Joe Jackson as part of that team.
Countless minor league players, including “Moonlight” Graham, the ballplayer/doctor immortalized in the film Field of Dreams, played here as part of the Scranton Miners in 1906 and 1907 while pursuing their life-long dream of making it to the Major Leagues.
The Park became home to the Danforth Baseball Association semi-pro team over the next decade and continued to host exhibition games featuring premier teams, including the Cuban Giants, Brooklyn Royal Giants and Philadelphia Colored Giants (Negro League Teams) and the all woman’s team, the New York Bloomer Girls and more.
On October 13, 1913, two days after winning the World Series as a starting pitcher with the Philadelphia Athletics, Hall of Fame pitcher Chief Bender played on this field.
In 1918, the F.J.&G railroad company gave up their lease on the property, and the Parkhurst family purchased the baseball grounds.
On August 14, 1923, when local baseball legend George Burns (N.Y. Giants, Philadelphia Athletics and Cincinnati Reds) came to town with the Reds to play a game against the local Elks team, he brought future Hall of Fame great Edd Roush with him.
For the next thirty years, Parkhurst Field continued to host significant games until the Parkhurst family graciously allowed the newly-formed Gloversville Little League to begin playing on these grounds in 1955. After exhaustive research, we can also now definitively state that Parkhurst Field is one of the most historic baseball grounds in America.
- It is older than Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. Cy Young’s playing career pre-dates Fenway Park, yet he played on our grounds.
- Other than Wrigley and possibly Rickwood Field, in Birmingham, Parkhurst Field is one of the few remaining grounds in existence on which Honus Wagner played.
- We believe it is the only field left in America that the immortalized “Moonlight” Doc Graham played on….making Parkhurst Field the original Field of Dreams.
Discover the rich history of baseball history through Parkhurst Field.
Great stories of baseball, from the creation of the field at the turn of the century through some amazing games played by Major league teams and Hall of Fame Players!
This park has seen great diversity including a women’s team and many ethnic tournaments – proving baseball has always been the great equalizer – if you can play – we want to watch!
Take a walk down memory lane with us and travel to a time on OUR field of Dreams!
Browse Some Parkhurst Field History
This article dated 7/6/1931 promoted an upcoming game featuring the Gloversville Eagles vs the Detroit Clowns.
Edd J. Roush (May 8, 1893 – March 21, 1988) was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.
"Pop" Watkins and his Havana Red Sox, who have won 36 games this season and only lost seven, will be there Saturday afternoon to play the Elks at Parkhurst Field.
This ad from 10/13/1913 promotes an upcoming game featuring future Hall of Famer Chief Bender and battery mate Wally Schang against the Danforths on A. J. & G. Park. Most baseball historians agree that Wally Schang was the greatest offensive catcher of the dead ball (pre-1920) era. When Schang wasn't catching, his managers usually played him in center field, right, or at third base, in order to keep his bat in the lineup. His defensive work was also regarded as outstanding, although he holds the American League career record for most errors by a catcher, with 218
Playing to their best form the Dansforths administered an awful walloping to the Philadelphia colored Giants at J. & G. park yesterday afternoon.
Six Hundred enthusiastic fans saw the Dansforths win a ten inning battle from the fast Brooklyn Royal Giants at J. & G. park yesterday afternoon.
Cleveland Club Unable To Come
This article from 5/31/1913 promotes that afternoon‟s game featuring the Cuban Giants. The Cuban Giants were the first African- American professional baseball club. The team was originally formed in 1885. The team was so skilled in the game, and achieved victory over so many of the nearby amateur "white" teams that they attracted the attention of a promoter, Walter Cook. To appeal to a broader audience, Cook styled them the "Cuban Giants," a common ploy to avoid referring to the players as "black" or "Negro." There were rarely Cubans on the Cuban Giants.
Mathewson is a brother to the famous Christy Mathewson of the New York Nationals, and had a season's experience with the Giants in 1911
The University of Hawaii had separate baseball teams for Chinese and Japanese players. The Chinese team toured the US in 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, and 1916, at least, playing exhibition games with various college teams, industrial teams, and black teams.
Archibald Wright "Moonlight" Graham appeared as a right fielder in a single major league game for the New York Giants on June 29, 1905. His story was popularized by the 1989 film Field of Dreams starring Kevin Costner.
Myron Frederick "Moose" Grimshaw was a right fielder in who played from 1905 through 1907 for the Boston Americans. Grimshaw was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed. He was born in St. Johnsville, New York and raised in Canajoharie. In a three-season career, Grimshaw was a .256 hitter (229-for-894) with four home runs and 116 RBI in 259 games, including 104 runs, 31 doubles, 16 triples, and 15 stolen bases. He came back to Gloversville after his career was over and became a player/manager for the semi-pro Danforths, who played on JAG Park. Grimshaw died in Canajoharie at age 61.
This article, dated 6-27-1907, explained that Manager Earl planned on bringing Big League Teams to the park, including Brooklyn and the Pirates (Nationals) This is the first indication that HOF Honus Wagner came to town and this field.
Originally Known as A.J.&G. (Amsterdam, Johnstown & Gloversville) Park, the local railroad company F,J&G, built the park as a tourist attraction and stop on the railroad. This article dated 9/21/1906 is an example of the fun a fan could have for $.25 a game!
Your Dollars Count
For over one hundred years, baseball has been played on the Parkhurst Field grounds.