Featured Image: Art Meripol
Historic Rickwood Field has played a role not only in the growth of Major League Baseball but in civil rights as well. It’s the oldest ballpark in America—older than Wrigley Field (home of the Chicago Cubs), and older than Fenway Park (home of the Boston Red Sox).
The field stands today as a symbol of the past, present, and profound change.
The History of Rickwood Field
Rickwood Field was opened in 1910 and was the brainchild of Birmingham industrialist A. H. “Rick” Woodward. While still in his 20s, Woodward bought a controlling interest in the baseball team that was known at the time as the Coal Barons—nodding to Birmingham’s reputation as an iron and coal town.
The city was in an industrial boom, earning the nickname the ‘Magic City’ due to its phenomenal growth. Woodward wanted to build a ballpark for his team, befitting the title. He sought design assistance from legendary Philadelphia Athletics manager Connie Mack and was influenced by Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field, which was newly constructed using steel and concrete.
On August 18, 1910, Rickwood Field opened its doors as the only minor league stadium built with steel and concrete at the time. While the stadium itself was a pioneer, it was also at the forefront of America’s baseball boom as the sport was still in its infancy. The field hosted baseball legends such as Ty Cobb, Christy Mathewson, Walter ‘Big Train’ Johnson, Honus ‘The Flying Dutchman’ Wagner, and the great Babe Ruth.
Baseball and Civil Rights
While many consider this the Golden Age of Major League Baseball, racial segregation in Birmingham and beyond prevented many great Black baseball players from playing in the majors.
This racial prejudice forced many great Black baseball players to get their start in the Negro Leagues, many of whom joined the Birmingham Black Barons when it was founded in 1920. The Black Barons would play at Rickwood Field when the Birmingham Barons were on the road. This would go on for four decades.
In segregated Birmingham, Black fans could only attend Black Barons games. Nevertheless, the stadium was full every time they took the field.
African-American stars like Leroy ‘Satchel’ Paige, hometown favorite Willie Mays, and Jackie Robinson (who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers) played at Rickwood Field, either for the Black Barons or as opponents
Ending Segregation
But even as times were changing around the country, some things, unfortunately, stayed the same. Birmingham remained a segregated city, and in 1962, the team refused to join the newly integrated Southern League. Baseball fans of all races called for an end to segregation, and Birmingham began to emerge as a leader in civil rights. In 1964, the segregated seating signs were removed at Rickwood Field, marking one of the city’s first public facilities to integrate.
By the late 1960s and early 1970s, a new generation of players passed through Birmingham, including Oakland A’s and New York Yankees star Reggie Jackson. Jackson was in the minors when he played in Birmingham back in the late 1960s, and during a 2024 tribute video, he talked about how hard it was for him to play in a segregated Birmingham.
“The racism when I played here, the difficulty of going through different places where we traveled,” Jackson recalled on the Fox Sports broadcast. “Fortunately, I had a manager and I had players on the team that helped me get through it, but I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.”
MLB’s Tribute to the Negro Leagues
Jackson’s comments were made in a tribute video during a monumental initiative in 2024: two MLB games were held at Rickwood Field paying tribute to the Negro Leagues. The tribute not only showcased the necessary advancements in the sport, but also in the city of Birmingham.
When players from both the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants played in Birmingham last year, they were in awe of this historic field, with many saying that they think all major leaguers should experience Rickwood. The games were a rousing success, and the MLB is already eyeing another tribute game in the coming seasons.
As for the Barons? They moved out to the suburbs in the 1980s but returned to their downtown roots in a new facility in 2013. Rickwood Field has rightfully been placed on The National Register of Historic Places, solidifying and acknowledging its powerful place in American history.
Once known as ‘Bombingham,’ Birmingham has transformed into a diverse metropolitan area and has had more Black mayors than New York City, including its current mayor, Randall Woodfin.
To learn more about Birmingham today, read our guide here.
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