A bird’s-eye view shows the Hamlin Park baseball diamond and grove in the mid- to late-1920s. Documents and newspaper articles confirm that a baseball diamond has been located in the same spot since at least 1893. (From the archives of the Aurora Town Historian’s Office). How Old is the Hamlin Park ? At Least 126

by Robert Lowell Goller Town and Village Historian

he upcoming “Legends of East Aurora” baseball game scheduled for 1 p.m., Saturday, T Sept. 7, coupled with concerns about the recent condition of the field, have led a few folks to ask the Historian’s Office: “Exactly how old is the Hamlin Park baseball diamond?” Local baseball enthusiasts have long thought that the Hamlin Park diamond is one of the oldest continuously used base- ball fields in the region, but a precise age has never been pinned down. However, recent research in the archives of the Aurora Town Historian’s Office confirms that the Hamlin Park diamond is older than Hamlin Park itself. It appears the diamond’s construction may have been the result of an informal arrange- ment with a housing development company, which purchased—and divided—large areas of land on the southern side of the village in the early 1890s. Before it became Hamlin Park in 1899, the land upon which Hamlin Park and its baseball diamond now sit was known as Holmes Grove, named for the family that once owned the land. In the earliest days, the grove stretched all the way to Main Street. Though privately owned, the grove hosted many community events and fairs, including the Erie County Fair in 1850 and 1854. Early accounts describe a meadow just south of the grove. Just as it was growing in popularity throughout the Northeast, baseball seemed to be growing in popularity in East Aurora in the 1860s and 1870s. But there is no indication at the time that the game was played in Holmes Grove or in the mead- ow just south of it. The first issue of the East Aurora Advertiser, published Aug. 9, 1872, contains an article describing the grove as a popu- lar destination for summer picnics and religious events, but it does not mention baseball. Another article in an adjacent column of the same issue describes informal baseball games in the streets. According to the newspaper, “From our sanc- tum window we have a very favorable view of ‘the field,’ (Main Street).” Local residents continued to enjoy Holmes Grove after a neighboring landowner, George Ehresman, purchased a portion of it in 1883. However, no mention of a baseball diamond as part of the property can be found in the newspaper archives during that time period. In fact, Ehresman had originally planned to extend the road now known as Park Place through the grove and meadow. That plan was never realized. Throughout the late 1870s and 1880s, it appears most baseball games (at least the formal ones) were played at the East Aurora Driving Park, a local fairground once located on the north side of South Street near Sycamore Street. Although

Spectators take in a game at the Hamlin Park baseball diamond in the 1920s. The diamond dates back to at least 1893, but many improvements, including the giant wooden grandstand on the left side of the photo- graph, were made after the diamond became part of Hamlin Park in 1899. (From the archives of the Aurora Town Historian’s Office). newspaper reports of early baseball games frequently failed to mention the location of the match-ups, reports of baseball games in the East Aurora Advertiser from as early as 1878 indicate that most of the games were played at “the Driving Park,” or the “Fairgrounds.” The last mention in the Advertiser of a baseball game at the Driving Park was in 1888, the same year the East Aurora Fair Association voted to dis- band the organization and sell the land. Local baseball players, it can be assumed, were in search of a new home. It is unclear where games were held in the few years after 1888. Only a few games were mentioned in the columns of the Advertiser between 1889 and 1892, and nearly all of the articles fail to indicate where the games were played. Only one article mentioned a game at “the West End,” near the present location of The Circle. The baseball diamond just south of the Hamlin Park grove appears to trace its roots to the early 1890s, shortly after Ehresman sold the land to a syndi- cate of developers known as the East Aurora Land and Improvement Co. The company, known informally as “the syndicate,” was developing lots along Sycamore Street, Linden Avenue, South Grove Street and South Street. According to an article published in the Buffalo Morning Express about a decade later, the company planned to eventually divide the grove and meadow south of it into housing lots, “but in the meantime allowed the people of the village and surrounding countryside the free use of the spot as a public playground, the company paying all taxes and keeping the grounds in fine condition. The grove has been a favorite picnic ground and place of gathering for all sorts and conditions of out-of-doors events, and the open field beyond is the village baseball ground.” It appears the first mention in the Advertiser of a baseball game on the “Syndicate grounds” was on June 2, 1893: “A game of ball was played on the Syndicate grounds Tuesday (May 30) between the East Aurora and Orchard Park nines (older boys), resulting in favor of the East Auroras by a score of 7 to 12.” It is possible baseball games were played on the same diamond the previ- ous fall, but the only newspaper account that could be found, mentioning a local match-up in October 1892, neglects to indicate the location of the game. Nonetheless, the diamond certainly was in full swing in the summer of 1893. The East Aurora Advertiser’s account, in September 1893, of In one of the most anticipated games of the 1893 season, the Town of Au- rora’s Democrats faced the Republicans on Sept, 8. According to the Ad- one of the first games played on vertiser, nearly 500 spectators came to the field. the baseball diamond that is now part of Hamlin Park. The Re- The players assembled at the Globe Hotel at 2 p.m., and with a band publicans dominated the Demo- marched their way to what the Advertiser called “the diamond” on the crats, 21-12. (From the archives Syndicate grounds. “The line of march was thro’ the principal streets to the of the Aurora Town Historian’s field back of the Holmes grove,” the Advertiser reported. (The Republi- Office.) cans dominated the game, 21-12). Baseball continued to rise in popularity in East Aurora throughout the 1890s. The newly organized Roycroft team issued a challenge to town players in May 1899. “Arrangements were made to have the diamond scraped and the grounds put in good condition,” an article in the Advertiser noted. Although it was successful in developing housing lots throughout the southern end of the village, the East Aurora Land and Improvement Company never developed Holmes Grove or the baseball diamond south of it. By July 1899, however, a group of village residents became so concerned about the potential for losing the grove and diamond that they petitioned the Village Board to buy it. In a special election held Aug. 19, 1899, village residents voted to purchase the 11-and-a-half-acre grove and baseball field for $7,000. However, before village officials could finalize the purchase, Cicero J. Hamlin, whose world-famous horse farm was located near The Circle at the time, purchased and donated the land to the village for use as a park and recreation area. The village quickly began to make improvements to the park and diamond, “grading off the knolls and filling in the holes,” according to the Advertiser. By the spring of 1900, the East Aurora High School baseball team had designated the Hamlin Park diamond as its home field, according to a report in the Advertiser. Roycroft leader Elbert Hubbard provided the resources in 1902 to construct the grandstand behind home plate for several hundred spectators. With a confirmed history dating back at least 126 years, the Hamlin Park diamond is no doubt one of the oldest continu- ously used baseball diamonds in the region. It also has been the stomping grounds for at least a few Major League players. Wally Schang played shortstop for the Roycrofters on the Hamlin Park diamond beginning in 1906. He went on to play in multiple and is regard- ed by many baseball historians as the best Major League of his time. His brother, Bobby Schang, also went on to play in the Major Leagues.

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Robert Lowell Goller is the eighth Aurora town and East Aurora village historian since the office was created 100 years ago. The Historian’s Office is open for research Wednesdays from 1-4 p.m. Visit www.townofaurora.com/departments/ historian for more information. The Town Historian’s Office can also be found on Facebook at “Aurora Town Histori- an” and on Instagram at “auroratownhistorian.”