Beech Street Grounds (~1883-1939)

 Holyoke has long had parks and fields, also called grounds, for participants to enjoy competitive sports and for many residents to cheer on their favorite players or teams. One of the more notable parks remains Mackenzie Stadium. However, before discussing that park, this general recreational area was known as The Range and Beech Street Grounds, the subject of today's story.

Having nearby spaces available for recreational pursuits was an essential consideration for the residents. Many worked six days in factories and were looking for diversions during their limited time off. Whether it was a quiet park atmosphere or an athletic facility, open space was available in Holyoke. 

One of these informal spaces was called The Range or the Beech Street grounds. The Holyoke Transcript began publishing as a daily in 1882, and the first news articles of the Beech Street grounds appeared in April 1883.

The grounds were used for several athletic endeavors in the late 1800s, including baseball, football, and tennis. It was not maintained with the care of today's parks, but it was more of an open and mowed field with plenty of holes and uneven surfaces. Events were held between high school teams and teams from different parts of the city. There were church and social league rivalries, and out-of-town teams visiting to play against Holyoke teams.

The area later became a part of Elmwood Park at the turn of the twentieth century. In the early 1900s, the park was graded for ice skating, and soon after, ice hockey was played there. In 1911, soccer was evident at the park. Bicycle racing was also noted.

The new high school on Pine Street, enclosed by Hampshire, Beech, and Sargeant, was constructed in 1898. In the decade that followed, discussions were held to establish a decent athletic facility for high school events. The high school had been using the Berkshire Street Grounds, east of Main Street and near the Connecticut River. This later became Falco Field, a story that I soon look forward to sharing.

In 1910, a recommendation was made that would have the 8,000 men of Holyoke each donate $1 to fund the establishment of a municipal stadium to be under the control of the athletic department of the high school. The association would control the master schedule, enabling social and other organizations to plan their events around the high school's usage. 

Discussions would be held sporadically over the next three decades, with each idea being rebuffed without progress in building a suitable athletic venue. One of the issues, adding to the confusion, was that the Beech Street grounds were under the Park Department and not the playground commission. 

Also, various interests wanted the park in their favored site in the city. This included the Prospect Street grounds (now Mitchell Field), Maple Street grounds (where Lawrence School was built), the present-day Community Field, the Ball property at Northampton and Beech Streets, and Riverside Park (Springdale).

In 1916, the Park Department relinquished control of the Beech Street grounds to the Playground Commission.

The discussions by city officials and flow of ideas continued into the 1930s, when, after 30-plus years of debate and delays, a formal plan was put into motion. The story of Mackenzie Stadium follows.

Citations:

Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations include Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram, and Springfield (Massachusetts) Morning Union, with publication dates and pages shown.