1. A panoramic view of Stadium Park.

Stadium Park

History:

Stadium Park, as known simply as ‘The Stadium’ was home of the Fort Smith Twins of the class D Western Association from 1916-1917 and again in 1920.

The stadium was located in a city park in Fort Smith bordered by Carnall Avenue, South 9th Street and Wheeler Avenue. The land was donated to the Fort Smith Twins to build a new stadium in 1915 because the city park was little used.

2. Stadium Park the day it was dedicated.

Stadium Park was dedicated on May 11th, 1916 by Charles Brough, who later became the Governor of Arkansas from 1917-1921. The first game at the park was played later that day between Fort Smith and the Denison Railroaders, a game that Fort Smith won by a score of 4 to 3. The Fort Smith city flag was also dedicated the next day at the park.

Overall, the park was one of the best in the state. It featured a large, wooden, covered grandstand, seating approximately 3,000. Additional bleachers were included down the first baseline, seating another 500.

But by the mid 1910s, wooden ballparks around the country were beginning to be replaced by concrete and steel parks. The same was true for Stadium Park. In 1921, Andrews Field, was built in the same area of Fort Smith, replacing Stadium Park permanently. The park was torn down shortly afterward, and is now the present location of the Sebastian County Detention Center.

Photo credits:

Photos 1 and 2 are courtesy of the Fort Smith Museum of History.