Finch Field

One of the entrances to Finch Field, Aug-2005.

The seating bowl as replaced in 2006, Jul-2022.

The field is clearing at the end of an amateur game.

• Location: Ball Park Road off National Highway (NC 68), Thomasville, N.C.
• Opened: 1935 (stadium rebuilt 2002, 2006)
• Home team: Thomasville Chair Makers (1937), Orioles (1938), Tommies (1939-42, 1945), Dodgers (1946-47), High Point-Thomasville HiToms (1948-52), North Carolina State League; High Point-Thomasville HiToms, Tar Heel League (1st half of 1953); High Point-Thomasville HiToms (1954-58, 1968), Royals (1969), Carolina League
• Capacity: 2,000 (approx.)

Unfortunately, the field was not well-maintained after the “golden age” of minor league baseball, and the grandstand eventually burned in 1982. What is visible here is a new grandstand, built in 2002 in order to help restore the field to its former glory.

The field is in exactly the same place as it has been since the 1930s, including a rise in the outfield in left and center field. The post-up scoreboard in left field went up in the 1950s, although the spaces for placing numbers were replaced within the last few years and are no longer used (there is a small electronic board in left field). The park is currently home to the HiToms of the Coastal Plain League, a summer college wood-bat league.

Site visitor David Yemm reported that a brand-new covered aluminum grandstand (shown above) was installed for the 2006 season. The 2006 state American Legion tournament was played at Finch Field. I finally got back in 2022 to watch a HiToms game.