About The Oldest Baseball Field In America
Fuller Field is both the world's oldest baseball diamond and oldest baseball field in continuous use
A baseball field, also called a ball field or baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played; a playing field on which the game of baseball is played; a piece of land prepared for playing a game.
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Fuller Field in Clinton, Massachusetts, established in 1878, is the oldest baseball field in America. In fact, it is also both the oldest baseball diamond in the world and the world's oldest baseball field in continuous use according to Guinness World Records. The Society For American Baseball Research mentions Fuller Field holds the world record for the longest continuous use, since 1878. Fuller Field is the oldest baseball field setting of any kind in America.
Fuller Field's baseball diamond is the only place in the world where you can play on the same dirt and run the same bases as players from the very first days of baseball. It was established 34 years before Major League Baseball’s (MLB) current oldest ballpark, Fenway Park, which was established in 1912.
Its story begins in 1878, when the field was officially established as the "Clinton Base Ball Ground." A map at the Holder Memorial, dates 1878, that shows the baseball diamond in the exact same location it is today. While baseball may have been played there even earlier, 1878 marks the point from which its continuous use can be definitively traced.
Bearing the words ‘Clinton Base Ball Ground’ inside a drawn diamond, the frayed, watermarked map is clearly dated and depicts the field in precisely the same location as today, on the northern edge of town along the Nashua River.
Fuller Field is a public park situated on the southern shore of Mossy Pond and covers an area of approximately 30 acres. The park was named after Albert P. Fuller, who donated the land to the town of Clinton in the early 1900s. Initially, the park was used for farming and recreation, and it later became a popular spot for picnics and outdoor activities.
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In the 1920s, the park was converted into a baseball field, and it became the home of the Clinton High School baseball team. The field underwent several renovations and improvements over the years, and in 2008, it was upgraded to include a new grandstand, press box, dugouts, and a scoreboard.
Today, Fuller Field is still used for baseball and softball games, as well as other outdoor activities such as picnicking, fishing, and hiking. The park also features a playground, a basketball court, and a walking trail that circles the pond. It is a popular destination for families and sports enthusiasts in the Clinton area.
Guinness World Records currently lists Labatt Park as the world's oldest baseball field while listing Fuller Field as the world's oldest baseball diamond. Either way, Fuller Field still remains both the oldest baseball field in America and the world's oldest baseball field in continuous use.
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*Note: London, Ontario’s Labatt Park claims to be the world's oldest baseball field established in 1877. However the park's playing surface and infrastructure was severely damaged during "The Flood of 1937." Operations at the ball grounds closed for a year reopening in 1938 after extensive restorations. Home plate was moved as the ballpark rotated the position of its original diamond.