Holman Stadium

The outside of Holman Stadium, Jul-2005.

The seating bowl, renovated in 2002.

Old trees rise well above the 2½-deck outfield wall.

Chronological Tour: Stop 172

• Location: Amherst and Sargents streets, Nashua, N.H.
• Opened: 1937 (renovated 2002)
• Home team: Nashua Dodgers, New England League (1946-49); Nashua Angels (1983), Pirates (1984-86), Eastern League; Nashua Hawks, North Atlantic League (1995-96); Nashua Pride, Atlantic League (1998-2005), Can-Am League (2006-08); American Defenders of New Hampshire, Can-Am League (2009)
• Capacity: 4,375

Rating: 3 baseballs

On a short brick outfield wall in a very short left field are circles with the numbers 36, 39, and 42. The 42 is for Jackie Robinson; the 36 and 39 are for his future Dodger teammates Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella, who played here for the Nashua Dodgers in the late 1940s. (Robinson never played at Nashua; he spent the 1946 season at Montreal before being recalled to Brooklyn in 1947.)

Other than the short left-field wall and a similar (non-brick) wall in right, the fences here are normal height and close to normal distance. The seats in the main seating bowl are in a double tier, separated by a fairly narrow concourse. A football bleacher on the left-field line increases the seating capacity, although it was off-limits in 2005 due to disrepair. There is no roof; to compensate, they seldom start before 6. The field is sunken from street level, thanks to the local topography. The outfield is lined by old trees that rise well above the 2½-deck wall.

Amenities are unspectacular, although the “hot sausage” sold from a third-base stand on the outer concourse in 1999 was as advertised. Prices are reasonable, with tickets ranging from $7 to $10 in 2005. Free parking is available at the park or on side streets.

Maybe it’s because I was in a New England frame of mind, but Holman Stadium gave me a homey feel. The shortcomings it does have seem to be the result of the facility’s being state-of-the-art for 1937, which isn’t a bad thing. I could sit here and enjoy baseball without a problem – on a clear night.

While professional baseball departed Holman Stadium for the last time after the 2009 season, the park continues to be used for college summer league ball as well as high school ball.