York Memorial Stadium

Entrance to York Memorial Stadium, Aug-2007.

Looking in from a gap in the outfield wall.

• Location: Rockdale and Vander streets, York, Pa.
• Opened: Before 1947
• Home team: York White Roses, Interstate League (1947-52), Piedmont League (1953-55); York White Roses (1958-67), Pirates (1968-69), Eastern League
• Capacity: Unknown

In the late 1950s, the Lancaster Red Roses and York White Roses competed against each other in the Eastern League. This ballpark was York’s home.

York proudly proclaims itself the First Capital of the United States, as Congress met here briefly after confederation. A man I spoke to at Sovereign Bank Stadium, the home of a new team in town, said that Memorial Stadium was the first outdoor professional facility to feature AstroTurf; it was installed on the infield only, much as at Wichita. The initial game on artificial turf occurred in April 1968 and drew the biggest crowd ever to Memorial Stadium.

I was unable to get into Memorial Stadium on my 2007 visit; it didn’t matter much, as the grandstands have been removed and the field is used today only for softball.