Pynchon Park
A poster promoting a Springfield Bicycle Club event in September 1883 when the stadium was known as Hampden Park
Map
LocationSpringfield, Massachusetts
Coordinates42°06′37″N 72°36′37″W / 42.1102°N 72.6103°W / 42.1102; -72.6103
Opened1853
Closed1966
Tenants
Springfield Bicycle Club
Springfield Giants
Springfield Acorns

Pynchon Park, also known as Hampden Park and League Park, was a sports venue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1853 by the Hampden Agricultural Society and was destroyed by fire in 1966.[1]

The venue hosted various events, including horse racing, bicycle racing, and college football (including several editions of the Harvard–Yale football rivalry). It also served as home grounds for the minor league baseball team primarily known as the Springfield Ponies.

Hampden Park

In 1853 the Hampden Agricultural Society paid $15,405 for the land on the site with the intention of creating a venue for the National Trotting Organization to hold its meetings.[2] However the facilities were then used for a broader range of recreational activities. With the advent of the American Civil War, Hampden Park was used as a muster point for the 10th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.[2] The 46th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment – which was primarily recruited in Hampden County


In 1885 and 1896, cycling's hour record was unofficially broken multiple times at Hampden Park.[3]

Renamed in 1940 for early settler William Pynchon, but the park came down in a blaze on the sixties.[citation needed]

College football

Date Winning team Result Losing team References
November 24, 1881 Amherst 0–0 Dartmouth [4]
October 30, 1889 Wesleyan 20–17 Williams
November 9, 1889 Harvard 67–2 Wesleyan [5]
November 16, 1889 Yale 52–0 Wesleyan [6][7]
November 22, 1889 Lehigh 11–11 Wesleyan [8]
November 23, 1889 Dartmouth 20–9 Williams [9]
November 23, 1889 Yale 6–0 Harvard [10][11]
November 12, 1890 Harvard 64–0 Amherst [12][13]
November 21, 1890 Wesleyan 34–6 Brown [14]
November 22, 1890 Harvard 12–6 Yale [15][16][17][18]
November 21, 1891 Yale 10–0 Harvard [19]
October 26, 1892 Yale 50–0 Springfield YMCA [20]
November 19, 1892 Yale 6–0 Harvard [21]
November 25, 1893 Yale 6–0 Harvard
October 17, 1894 Yale 34–0 Dartmouth [22][23]
November 24, 1894 Brown 20-4 Dartmouth [24][25]
November 24, 1894 Yale 12–4 Harvard
November 25, 1905 Dartmouth 24–6 Brown [26]
October 27, 1906 Dartmouth 0–0 Williams
November 24, 1906 Brown 23–0 Dartmouth

The Hampden Park Blood Bath

Hampden Park provided a neutral site in between Cambridge and New Haven suitable for the annual Harvard-Yale game between 1889 and 1894.[27] However the match played on 1894 led to such violence and injury that the match was suspended for two years. It subsequently became known as the Hampden Park Blood Bath, also known as the Springfield Massacre.[28]

References

  1. ^ Strahan, Derek (2017). Lost Springfield, Massachusetts. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 131–137. ISBN 978-1-4671-3666-2.
  2. ^ a b Healey, Paul. "Pynchon Park". www.projectballpark.org. Paul Healey. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  3. ^ McKay, Feargal (30 January 2018). "The Penny Hour - The Last Hour Record Set On A High-Wheeled Bicycle". Podium Cafe. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Amherst Vs. Dartmouth—Game Unfinished". The Boston Daily Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 25, 1881. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  5. ^ "Harvard Defeats Wesleyan". The New York Times. November 10, 1889. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Yale, 52; Wesleyan, 0". The New York Times. November 17, 1889. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Yale, 52; Wesleyan, 0". The Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 17, 1889. p. 4. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  8. ^ "A Tie Game". The Meriden Daily Journal. Meriden, Connecticut. November 23, 1889. p. 3. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  9. ^ "Dartmouth Beats Williams". The Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 24, 1889. p. 7. Retrieved March 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  10. ^ "Yale Wins From Harvard". The New York Times. November 24, 1889. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Leather Chasing". Brooklyn Citizen. Brooklyn, New York. November 24, 1889. p. 3. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  12. ^ "Rush, Run and Punt: Harvard Science Against Amherst Beef". The Boston Globe. November 13, 1890. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Harvard And Yale—The Crimson Eleven Shown Yesterday at Springfield in the Amherst Game". The Meriden Daily Journal. Meriden, Connecticut. November 13, 1890. p. 2. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  14. ^ "Wesleyan, 34; Brown, 6". The Boston Daily Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 22, 1890. p. 5. Retrieved March 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  15. ^ "Crimson: Even Ladies, Who Blushed". The Boston Globe. November 23, 1890. pp. 1, 4.
  16. ^ "Coming of the Thousands". The Boston Globe. November 23, 1890. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ "Harvard's Jubilee: Her Team Defeats Yale in the Great Football Game at Springfield". New York Tribune. November 23, 1890. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Yale Whipped By Harvard". The Sun. New York, New York. November 23, 1890. p. 8. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  19. ^ "Yale 10, Harvard 0: And The Great Match Is Over". The Evening World. November 21, 1891. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Yale Won, As Usual: A 50 to 0 Victory Over the Springfield Eleven". The Hartford Courant. October 27, 1892. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Yale's Narrow Victory: Harvard Defeated at Football in a Magnificent Game". New York Tribune. November 20, 1892. pp. 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Yale 34, Dartmouth 0". The Boston Daily Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. October 18, 1894. p. 4. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  23. ^ "Yales Wins Over Dartmouth". Boston Evening Transcript. Boston, Massachusetts. October 18, 1894. p. 5. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  24. ^ "Dartmouth vs. Brown Today". The Boston Daily Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 24, 1894. p. 10. Retrieved March 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  25. ^ "Dartmouth "Not In It."". The Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 25, 1894. p. 22. Retrieved March 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  26. ^ "Tricks win for old Dartmouth". The Boston Globe. November 26, 1905. Retrieved June 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Strahan, Derek (24 March 2014). "Hampden Park, Springfield, Mass - Lost New England". Lost New England. Lost New England. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  28. ^ Sahlberg, Jacqueline (2011). "Memorable Games in Harvard-Yale history". Yale Daily News. No. 18 November 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
Categories