Bill Meyer Stadium

Exterior of Bill Meyer Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn., Aug-1997.

The park sits in a warehouse district.

Chronological Tour: Stop 114

• Location: Caswell Park, Willow Avenue off Central, Knoxville, Tenn. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1953 as Municipal Stadium
• Additional names: Bill Meyer Stadium (1957)
• Closed: 1999
• Demolished: 2003
• Home team: Knoxville Smokies, Mountain States League (1953), Tri-State League (1954), South Atlantic / Southern League (1955-67, 1993-99); Knoxville Sox (1972-79), Blue Jays (1980-92), South Atlantic League
• Capacity: 6,412

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. Interestingly, the same thing had happened at the Smokies’ previous home: Smithson Stadium had fallen into disrepair after 22 seasons and was abandoned in favor of this park.

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.

As of late 2022, plans are afoot to return the Smokies franchise to Knoxville, although they would not be returning to this specific location. The new park, several blocks away, is set to open in 2025.