Ballpark Request - Lincoln Park Union Grounds

[DrDoom]

Seeing a lot of great parks from the 19th century and, it seems, it won't be long before we have a 3D park for every ballpark across the entire history of MLB - in addition to many minor league parks as well.

One park I have on my wish list is Lincoln Park Union Grounds in Cincinnati. For being such an important ballpark to the history of baseball, it is surprising how little documented the park actually is. Still, I think there is enough out there to create a pretty good approximation.

The park was a perfect square with the length of one of its sides being somewhere between 360ft - 400ft.

[DrDoom]

This is a photo of the Cincinnati Reds and Forest City of Cleveland from 1870. It is possible that might be the outfield wall of the Union Grounds in the background.

[DrDoom]

This is from an 1870 map of Cincinnati showing the location of Lincoln Park - no mention of the Union Grounds is made here or on any other map I've seen from the mid 1800s. The shaded area was the public park and the unshaded section of that block is supposedly where the Union Grounds sat (seems a bit small).

[DrDoom]

From BR Bullpen
Lincoln Park Grounds

Tenant: Cincinnati Red Stockings (1867-1870)
AKA: Union Grounds
Location: Hopkins and McLean Ave., West End, Cincinnati, OH
Club owners: Cincinnati Reds Base Ball Club
Year Built: 1856; The grounds were enclosed in 1868.
Distinctive look: Foul poles with streamers marked the foul lines about 150 feet beyond the bases
Seating capacity: 4,000 (by 1869)
Claim to Fame: Home of first-ever professional sports team in U.S.
Admission: This was the first time Cincinnati fans paid a fee to watch baseball. Tickets were priced at 25 cents and 50 cents.
Features: Cupola-capped grandstand (called the "Grand Duchess") included a high platform from which a Zouave Band played; double-gated entrance, through which the home and visiting team's horse-drawn "omnibuses" could enter the ballpark.
Ballpark "scene": The team's red stockings were all the rage, so it was commonplace for spectator areas to be awash in red - handkerchiefs and scarves fluttering, parasols waving, hats flying in the air.
What was nearby: Next door, to the east, was Lincoln Park
Best player: Shortstop George Wright
What's there now: Esplanade Fountain and a portion of the parking lot of the Museum Center at Cincinnati Union Terminal


The Lincoln Park Grounds was first built in 1856 and was originally the home to the Union Cricket Club. Commonly called Union Park, it would hold cricket matches and baseball games in the summer, and then in the winter was turned into an ice rink. The Cincinnati Red Stockings moved to Lincoln Park Grounds for the 1867 season. Their first game was a 60-24 win over the Louisville Base Ball Club on July 4th. The grounds were enclosed for the 1868 season and a grandstand, popularly referred to the "Grand Duchess" was built. Union Park would remain the home of the Red Stockings until the end of the 1870 season.

[DrDoom]

Team photo in front of an artist's rendering of the Union Grounds interior - partially showing what was beyond the right field line fence.

[Flying_Canuck]

Looks like the perfect project for our resident expert Asrivkin! I'm sure he would be interested when he sees this

[DrDoom]

Originally Posted by Flying_Canuck

Looks like the perfect project for our resident expert Asrivkin! I'm sure he would be interested when he sees this

Big fan of his and dfswans work so fingers crossed.

Until then, I'll just keep posting any info I find about the park for anyone interested.

[DrDoom]

According to a historical marker at the Union Terminal in Cincinnati, which claims to be near where the grandstands and home plate were, the ballpark was 550ft square. This is unlikely as that is the total distance between Kenner and Hopkins. The only way that would have been possible would be if the Union Grounds actually occupied the entire shaded area of Lincoln Park in the map above. However, shaded areas on that specific map denote public parks which the Union Grounds was not. Another thing of note, in order for the marker to have been anywhere near the grandstands, Union Grounds would have had to have been west of Dalton, between Dalton and McLean - this is consistent with the BR Bullpen entry on the park as opposed to many other sources stating it was located in the western third of Lincoln Park. What is interesting about that is, at 400-ish feet squared it fits neatly between the two streets. Also, McClean was actually a player on the Reds and even was a partial owner of the American Association Reds and Outlaw Reds that would come years later. It would have left some empty space - likely on the south side of the park - but that could've been for carriage parking.
I've attached an image showing what I mean.

[DrDoom]

I had initially considered that the Union Grounds occupied the shaded area of the above map (exactly 550ft sq) and maybe it was lumped in with "public parks" because it was likely used for events other than baseball.

However, I stumbled across this article from a german Cincinnati news paper:

1868 Westliche Blätter

Translation:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This magnificent pond, designed for the comfort of skaters, is located in the northwest end of the city, just behind Lincoln Park. You take the road, railroad out of Freeman Street to Lincoln Park, walk through it and get straight to Union Pond. This pond is at least three times as large as the so-called "Skating Rink," opposite at the Lincoln Park, and has the advantage that one is in free pleasure and can romp around much faster and more undisturbed. Meeting rooms are furnished and heated for gentlemen and ladies, and a pleasant club, with a gallery in front of it, affords a magnificent view not only over the Teib[valley?], but also over the hills to the west and north of the Sratt[City?]. On clear, sunny days there is no more beautiful abode than the neighbourhood of this pond, with the merrily frolicking runners frolicking around on it. — On the days when the pond is dedicated to the 50 cents. Only members or ticket holders have access to the Brivattagen[?]. The public, however, and especially the dear youth, compensates for this by skating on the ponds of Lincoln Park, where it costs nothing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The article clearly describes walking through a very typical park (Lincoln Park) to get to an admission only skating rink referred to as Union Pond.

The BR Bullpen reference above mentions the Union Grounds being used as a skating rink in the wintertime. I think it is safe to say that the "Union Pond" mentioned in the Westliche Blätter news article is referring to the Union Grounds flooded as a skating rink.

[asrivkin]

Thanks for the great head start! Sure, I'll see if I can tackle this one before the other 19th century ones I was thinking about in my post from earlier today...

[DrDoom]

Originally Posted by asrivkin

Thanks for the great head start! Sure, I'll see if I can tackle this one before the other 19th century ones I was thinking about in my post from earlier today...

Awesome! I anxiously await your creation.

In the meantime, I will post anything I come across - of interest - on the park here.

Below is a picture of Lincoln Park (facing southwest) that is supposedly from the 1880s. A decade sooner and we might have seen the Union Grounds off to the right on the western side of the park.

[DrDoom]

It is astonishing how little base ball in general is referenced in Cincinnati newspapers throughout the 1860s and into the 1870s considering how popular base ball was in the city and the fact that they were home to the most famous team in the country at one point. Newspapers elsewhere in the state mention the great "Cincinnati Base Ball Club" nearly eveytime the sport is brought up, which was often by the late 1860s when the Red Stockings were virtually unbeatable. Anyone from Cincinnati have any insight as to why this might have been? Did the Cincinnati media have a thing against baseball during this time period?

[DrDoom]

Just for fun, here is a summary of the Cincinnati Red Stockings famous 1869 season.

1869 CINCINNATI TEAM STATS
BATTERS		POS	GP	HL	H	R	TB
Charles Gould	1B	57	191	217	258	363
Charlie Sweasy	2B	57	155	219	248	422
George Wright	SS/P	57	116	304	339	614
Fred Waterman	3B	57	156	228	293	377
Harry Wright	OF/P	57	186	221	232	332
Cal McVey	OF	57	146	217	262	348
Andy Leonard	OF	54	146	211	247	358
Doug Allison	C	53	140	210	246	331
Asa Brainard	P/OF	55	159	195	233	278

PITCHERS	IP	R
Asa Brainard	338	405
Harry Wright	118	145
George Wright	14	18

1869 CINCINNATI PLAYER SALARIES
Harry Wright	$1,200
George Wright	$1,400
Asa Brainard	$1,100
Fred Waterman	$1,000
Charles Sweasy	  $800
Charles Gould	  $800
Doug Allison	  $800
Andy Leonard	  $800
Cal McVey	  $800
Richard Hurley	  $600			

1869 PROFESSIONAL TEAM RESULTS
TEAM				GP	W	L	T
Cincinnati			57	57	0	0
Eckford (Brooklyn)		55	47	8	0
Athletic (Philadelphia)		53	45	8	0
Atlantic (Brooklyn)		48	40	6	2
Mutual (New York)		52	36	16	0
Union (Lansingburgh, NY)	34	24	9	1
Olympic (Washington)		36	22	14	0
Forest City (Cleveland)		25	19	6	0
Maryland (Baltimore)		27	14	13	0
National (Washington)		26	13	13	0
Keystone (Philadelphia)		34	12	21	1
Irvington (Irvington, NJ)	9	0	9	0

1869 CINCINNATI SCHEDULE 
DATE OPPONENT 				CIN	Opp.	Result
05/04 Great Western (Cincinnati) 	45	9	W
05/10 Kekionga (Ft. Wayne, IN) 		86	8	W
05/15 Antioch (Yellow Springs, OH) 	41	7	W
05/22 Kekionga (Ft. Wayne, IN) 		41	7	W
06/01 Independent (Mansfield, OH) 	48	14	W
06/02 Forest City (Cleveland)# 		25	6	W
06/03 Niagara (Buffalo) 		42	6	W
06/04 Alert (Rochester, NY) 		18	9	W
06/07 Union (Lansingburgh, NY)# 	38	31	W
06/08 National (Albany, NY) 		49	8	W
06/09 Mutual (Springfield, MA) 		80	5	W
06/10 Lowell (Boston) 			29	9	W
06/11 Tri Mountain (Boston) 		40	12	W
06/12 Harvard (Cambridge, MA) 		30	11	W
06/15 Mutual (New York)# 		4	2	W
06/16 Atlantic (Brooklyn)# 		32	10	W
06/17 Eckford (Brooklyn)# 		24	5	W
06/18 Irvington (Irvington, NJ)# 	20	4	W
06/19 Olympic (Philadelphia) 		22	11	W
06/21 Athletic (Philadelphia)# 		27	18	W
06/22 Keystone (Philadelphia)# 		45	30	W
06/24 Maryland (Baltimore)# 		47	7	W
06/25 National (Washington)# 		24	8	W
06/28 Olympic (Washington)# 		16	5	W
07/03 Olympic (Washington)# 		25	14	W
07/05 Olympic (Washington)# 		32	10	W
07/10 Forest City (Rockford, IL) 	34	13	W
07/13 Olympic (Washington)# 		19	7	W
07/22 Buckeye (Cincinnati) 		71	15	W
07/24 Forest City (Rockford, IL) 	15	14	W
07/30 Cream City (Milwaukee) 		85	7	W
07/31 Forest City (Rockford, IL) 	53	32	W
08/02 Forest City (Rockford, IL) 	28	7	W
08/04 Central City (Syracuse, NY) 	37	9	W
08/05 Central City (Syracuse, NY) 	36	22	W
08/06 Forest City (Cleveland)# 		43	27	W
08/11 Riverside (Portsmouth, OH) 	40	0	W
08/16 Eckford (Brooklyn)# 		45	18	W
08/23 Southern (New Orleans LA)		35	3	W
08/26 Union (Lansingburgh, NY)# 	17	17	W*
08/31 Buckeye (Cincinnati) 		103	8	W
09/02 Alert (Rochester, NY) 		32	19	W
09/09 Olympic (Pittsburgh) 		54	2	W
09/15 Union (St Louis) 			70	9	W
09/16 Empire (St. Louis) 		31	14	W
09/25 Eagle (San Francisco) 		35	4	W
09/27 Eagle (San Francisco) 		58	4	W
09/29 Pacific (San Francisco) 		66	4	W
09/30 Pacific (San Francisco) 		54	5	W
10/01 Atlantic (San Francisco) 		76	5	W
10/11 Omaha (Omaha NE)			65	1	W
10/12 Otoes (Omaha, NE) 		56	3	W
10/13 Occidental (Quincy, IL) 		51	7	W
10/15 Marion (Indianapolis) 		63	4	W
10/18 Athletic (Philadelphia)# 		17	12	W
11/03 Kentucky (Louisville) 		59	8	W
11/06 Mutual (New York)# 		17	8	W

#Professional Games
*Union club withdrew during 6th inning following dispute with umpire, who then declared Cincinnati victors.

Sources:
The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 - Marshal D. Wright
Baseball in Cincinnati; A History - Harry Ellard

[DrDoom]

I believe this renovation plan for Lincoln Park is likely the culprit for some sources stating that the Union Grounds were on the eastern side of Hoeffer (Dalton Ave today) and directly adjacent to Lincoln Park.

This is from the Lincoln Park Grounds Wikipedia entry:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lincoln Park was bounded by Kenner Street (north); Freeman Avenue (east); Hopkins Street (south); and Hoefer Street (later Dalton Street) (west). Old maps show the western one-third of the park designated as "ball field".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source:Lincoln Park Grounds

The article appears to be describing this plan exactly even though the "Ball Field" area clearly looks like a soccer/football field and nothing like any depictions of the Union Grounds.

[DrDoom]

Here are two lithographs by artist Chris Felix. One is of Harry Wright with the Union Ground's stands behind him. Another is of George and Harry Wright standing together much closer to the stands and an obelisk that reads "Union Grounds" just outside the ballpark.

[DrDoom]

Found this beautiful aerial drawing of Cincinnati in 1900. Couldn't find anything from before then where Lincoln Park was visible. Still, we get a good view of what the terrain looked like before the Union Terminal and whether or not the area between Dalton and McLean would've been suitable for a ballpark.

[DrDoom]

Revisiting this old photo of Lincoln Park dated circa 1880s, we can tell it is a very old photo of the park because the tree coverage is very sparse - as they were likely planted fairly recent prior to the photo being taken. Later photos show significantly more tree coverage. In the photo, it appears that there are randomly placed structures to the west of the park just beyond what I believe to be a tool shed. I don't think we know the exact year the Union Grounds were dismantled but I've come across several sources which state that the parks wood planks were sold off to recover some of the debt the Red Stockings left behind. Is it possible that those seemingly randomly placed structures are in fact neatly stacked piles of wooden planks from the dismantled Union Grounds?

[DrDoom]

Read Baseball in Cincinnati - A History by Harry Ellard to see if I could learn anything new about the Union Grounds. Didn't find much that I didn't already know but learned a lot about the Cincinnati Base Ball Club. One thing I learned that I didn't know previously was that the "Grand Duchess" portion of the stands wasn't originally there but was actually added on a year later in 1868.

Excerpt from the book on the original construction
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Owing to the increasing membership in the club, it was found necessary to construct a large clubhouse to accommodate the men. At a meeting held at the office of George B. Ellard, April 3, 1867, plans of the building intended to be erected were submitted by Duncan & Bunten, the old contractors and builders on Freeman Avenue. These plans were accepted and the new building erected at a cost of $2,400, with an additional expense of $1,350 for a more substantial fence around the grounds.

At a meeting held at the office of Geo. B. Ellard, on June 12, 1867, there were present Messrs. Wm. Resor, H. A. Glassford, D. Schwartz, Drausin Wulsin, Ben. F. Wright and Geo. B. Ellard. It was resolved that the members of the Cincinnati Baseball Club and the Union Cricket Club be admitted free to all matches, also that the rates of admission be fixed at ten cents for home matches and twenty-five cents for foreign matches. Ladies free.

On September 10 following, it was resolved that thereafter the charge for admission to the grounds on the occasion of all matches should be twenty-five cents and that ladies be charged the same as gentlemen. No disreputable characters were allowed on the grounds. The audience behaved themselves, and did not insult umpires or players.

We also notice among the rules and regulations of the club that “no ardent spirits shall be kept for sale on the grounds,” yet in looking over some of the old bills presented to the club we find one from the caterer, where the item “drinks and lemons for the policemen” is mentioned several times, at a cost ranging from forty-five cents to $1.75.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Excerpt from the book on addition of octagonal portion of stands in 1868 which would later be referred to as the "Grand Duchess".
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The interest in the various games had increased to such an extent that the attendance was becoming larger at each game played. It was found necessary to increase the seating capacity, and plans were submitted to erect a large octagonal building at the southeast corner of the grounds. Those designed by James McLaughlin, the architect, were accepted, and the building was erected at a cost of $2,350.

As the Cincinnati Club did not require its grounds every day in the week, upon those days when they were not used the privilege of playing on the grounds was rented out to various other local clubs at a rental of $25 per month.

The clubs that used them were the Live Oaks, the Charter Oak, the Great Western and the Buckeye. When any local club had a game with the Cincinnati Club on its grounds they were given one-third of the net receipts, and when an Eastern or outside club came to play they were allowed one-half of the net receipts.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

[DrDoom]

So while I couldn't find many mentions of the Union Grounds from any Cincinnati newspapers archived at the Library of Congress' website, I did come across a newspaper - the Cincinnati Enquirer - from Cincinnati's public library which mentions it quite frequently throughout it's existence. Although, it's still hard to pinpoint the exact location of the park outside of it being directly west of Lincoln Park. I came across this article from the Cincinnati Enquirer about an attempt to sell the grounds occupied by the Union Grounds to the city to extend Lincoln Park.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Free consent will be given to the variation of the street(Garrard) on the west side of the present park, and Dalton avenue, from Hopkins to Kenner streets, will be dedicated as a street to the public.

These premises are at present under lease to the Union Grounds, to expire April 1, 1875 at an annual rent of $2000.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I find this very confusing as, according to the 1870 map of Cincinnati in one of my earlier posts, there doesn't look to be any room for a ballpark of meaningful size on any of the lots shown in this area. However, on these early maps, some streets are merely planned streets that may not have existed at the time of the maps printing - or ever for that matter. I've seen this a lot when looking at old maps of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and New Jersey, where you might occasionally even see streets that are drawn over water - it is not that the streets are actually over or submerged under the water but rather where the city might expand the shoreline and build additional roads, should they need to, in order to accommodate for any necessary expansion. The area between the western end of the park and Dalton is about 550sq exactly which lines up with what is listed on the historical marker at the modern day Union Terminal museum (I still doubt the park occupied all 550 square feet as it is known that there was a large obelisk just outside the park, implying there was some separation between the fences and surrounding streets... Still, for all I know, the park could have occupied up to 525 square feet of the property if that is, in fact, where it was located). My best guess is Garrard St. was there before the construction of the grounds but remained on these city plan maps and, in this letter, Kenner Garrard is implying that, upon the city acquiring the grounds, it could be restored again as a public street.

It is also possible that this sale merely included empty land between the Union Grounds and the park but not the Union Grounds itself. In this scenario, the Union Grounds would have still been west of Dalton and the land between the Grounds and the park might have simply been an empty grassy field that separated the two locations. I'm leaning towards the former but not 100% sure either way.

I've attached the original article for anyone that wishes to look it over in it's original context.

[DrDoom]

Here are two articles from the Cincinnati Daily Enquirer on the Opening of Union Grounds.