Bill Meyer Stadium

Exterior of Bill Meyer Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn.

The park sits in a warehouse district.

• Location: Caswell Park, Willow Avenue off Central, Knoxville, Tenn.
• Opened: 1955
• Closed: 1999
• Demolished: 2003
• Home team: Knoxville Smokies, Southern League
• Capacity: 6,412

Chronological Tour: Stop 114

Rating: 2 baseballs

Oh, the park did have some charms, like a fully covered grandstand that keeps the patrons out of the sun during Sunday afternoon games and protected from the elements when the rain must fall.

What I saw here, though, was a park that just hadn’t been kept up as well as it could have been. Whether this was a ploy by the club owners to get a new stadium, I don’t know. But I found nothing particularly worth saving here.

Sure enough, Knoxville city officials announced in early 2003 that the 48-year-old stadium would face the wrecking ball in the spring. However, the field, which has been used since the 1920s and once hosted an exhibition by one of Babe Ruth’s barnstorming teams, will remain intact. Todd Helton, a major league infielder from Knoxville, has made a donation to ensure the future of the field.