Mack Park
Encyclopedia
Mack Park was the original home field of Detroit’s
Negro National League
baseball
franchise, the Detroit Stars
. It was constructed in 1914 by Joe Roesink, sponsor of a local semi-professional team, a Dutchman of Jewish descent born in Grand Rapids
who owned a chain of haberdasheries.
The park, was located on the east side of Detroit, about four miles from downtown, at the southeast corner of Fairview Ave. and Mack Ave., after which it was named. The park was located in what was then the heart of the city's German community, some distance from the city's African American
neighborhoods of Paradise Valley
and Black Bottom
, which were closer to downtown. However, the ballpark was easily reached from those areas via the Mack Ave. streetcar line.
Mack Park's single-decked structure, constructed of timber and tin sheeting, was built to seat 6,000 occupants; however, varying reports suggest as many as 10,000 could fit in the stadium's wooden bleachers. The park is said to have had cozy confines, having a short right field porch and power alley. This may have artificially inflated power hitting numbers of left-handed hitters, despite the high fence in right field. The park has been called a haven for home run
hitters and a nightmare for pitchers.
In 1915, the new Federal League
sought to locate a franchise in Detroit and contacted Roesink about operating a franchise out of Mack Park; he stalwartly declined the offer. Three years later he accepted an offer from Chicago
sports promoter Rube Foster to establish a Negro National League franchise in Detroit and use Mack Park as its home field.
Before 1920, the Detroit Stars' first season of play, the park played host to teams like the Boston Braves
, New York Giants
, Philadelphia Phillies
, and Brooklyn Dodgers
. It was common in those days for major league teams to play minor league or semi-professional baseball teams on their off days to generate additional revenue.
In July 1929, the Kansas City Monarchs
were in Detroit to play a doubleheader
with the Stars. Two days of heavy rain left the ball field with standing water and threatened to postpone the game. Roesink, working with the grounds crew, ordered gasoline
to be spread on the field for eventual ignition to dry out the field and save the game from cancellation. After dispersing as much gasoline as they needed, the grounds crew stored the spare cans below the wooden bleachers. It is thought that a discarded cigarette butt accidentally ignited the gasoline on the field. Flames quickly spread to the storage area, resulting in a raging fire that engulfed the wooden framework of the stadium. No one died in the blaze; however 106 to 222 were reported injured when the grandstand area collapsed.
The Stars finished the season at Hamtramck Stadium, situated between Gallagher, Roosevelt, Jacob, and Conant streets in Hamtramck. Their last season of play saw the Stars playing games at Dequindre Park, located on Dequindre, two blocks north of Davison Rd in Hamtramck. Dequindre Park was also called Linton Field, or Cubs Park.
Mack Park was eventually rebuilt for Detroit Southeastern High School’s baseball team. The school is located just south of the facility on Goethe and Fairview Streets. During a 1960s revitalization effort by the federal government
, Mack Park was flattened to make way for a senior citizens complex called Fairview Homes.
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
Negro National League
Negro National League (the first)
The Negro National League was one of the several Negro leagues which were established during the period in the United States in which organized baseball was segregated. Led by Rube Foster, owner and manager of the Chicago American Giants, the NNL was established on February 13, 1920 by a...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
franchise, the Detroit Stars
Detroit Stars
The Detroit Stars were a United States baseball team in the Negro leagues and played at historic Mack Park.- Founding :Founded in 1919 by Tenny Blount with the help of Rube Foster, owner and manager of the Chicago American Giants, the Detroit Stars immediately established themselves as one of the...
. It was constructed in 1914 by Joe Roesink, sponsor of a local semi-professional team, a Dutchman of Jewish descent born in Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
who owned a chain of haberdasheries.
The park, was located on the east side of Detroit, about four miles from downtown, at the southeast corner of Fairview Ave. and Mack Ave., after which it was named. The park was located in what was then the heart of the city's German community, some distance from the city's African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
neighborhoods of Paradise Valley
Paradise Valley
Paradise Valley may refer to:*Paradise Valley, Alberta*Paradise Valley in Banff National Park, Canada*Paradise Valley, Arizona*A neighborhood in northeastern Phoenix, Arizona located several miles north of the town of Paradise Valley proper...
and Black Bottom
Black Bottom, Detroit
Black Bottom was a predominantly black neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan, that was demolished for redevelopment in the early 1960s. It was replaced with Lafayette Park. It was located on Detroit's near East side bounded by Gratiot Avenue, Brush Street, Vernor Highway, and the Grand Trunk railroad...
, which were closer to downtown. However, the ballpark was easily reached from those areas via the Mack Ave. streetcar line.
Mack Park's single-decked structure, constructed of timber and tin sheeting, was built to seat 6,000 occupants; however, varying reports suggest as many as 10,000 could fit in the stadium's wooden bleachers. The park is said to have had cozy confines, having a short right field porch and power alley. This may have artificially inflated power hitting numbers of left-handed hitters, despite the high fence in right field. The park has been called a haven for home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
hitters and a nightmare for pitchers.
In 1915, the new Federal League
Federal League
The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that operated as a "third major league", in competition with the established National and American Leagues, from to...
sought to locate a franchise in Detroit and contacted Roesink about operating a franchise out of Mack Park; he stalwartly declined the offer. Three years later he accepted an offer from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
sports promoter Rube Foster to establish a Negro National League franchise in Detroit and use Mack Park as its home field.
Before 1920, the Detroit Stars' first season of play, the park played host to teams like the Boston Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
, New York Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
, Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, and Brooklyn Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. It was common in those days for major league teams to play minor league or semi-professional baseball teams on their off days to generate additional revenue.
In July 1929, the Kansas City Monarchs
Kansas City Monarchs
The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro Leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri and owned by J.L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1930. J.L. Wilkinson was the first Caucasian owner at the time...
were in Detroit to play a doubleheader
Doubleheader (baseball)
A doubleheader is a set of two baseball games played between the same two teams on the same day in front of the same crowd. In addition, the term is often used unofficially to refer to a pair of games played by a team in a single day, but in front of different crowds and not in immediate...
with the Stars. Two days of heavy rain left the ball field with standing water and threatened to postpone the game. Roesink, working with the grounds crew, ordered gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
to be spread on the field for eventual ignition to dry out the field and save the game from cancellation. After dispersing as much gasoline as they needed, the grounds crew stored the spare cans below the wooden bleachers. It is thought that a discarded cigarette butt accidentally ignited the gasoline on the field. Flames quickly spread to the storage area, resulting in a raging fire that engulfed the wooden framework of the stadium. No one died in the blaze; however 106 to 222 were reported injured when the grandstand area collapsed.
The Stars finished the season at Hamtramck Stadium, situated between Gallagher, Roosevelt, Jacob, and Conant streets in Hamtramck. Their last season of play saw the Stars playing games at Dequindre Park, located on Dequindre, two blocks north of Davison Rd in Hamtramck. Dequindre Park was also called Linton Field, or Cubs Park.
Mack Park was eventually rebuilt for Detroit Southeastern High School’s baseball team. The school is located just south of the facility on Goethe and Fairview Streets. During a 1960s revitalization effort by the federal government
Federal government
The federal government is the common government of a federation. The structure of federal governments varies from institution to institution. Based on a broad definition of a basic federal political system, there are two or more levels of government that exist within an established territory and...
, Mack Park was flattened to make way for a senior citizens complex called Fairview Homes.