1. Historic Hunt’s Park from center field.

Hunt’s Park

History:

Hunt’s Park is the home field of the Fort Smith Northside Grizzlies baseball team, and has been since the team reorganized in 1990. In addition, the Fort Smith American Legion also uses the field during the summer.

The park was built as a permanent baseball field for the Fort Smith Boys and Girls club in 1947, making it one of the oldest ballparks in Arkansas. Leland Hunt, a Fort Smith businessman, provided the land for the park, as well as $10,000 through the estate of R.T. Hunt, for whom the park was named.

2. Hunts Park at night, shortly following the years it opened.

In the early 1950s, a grandstand was built into the hill behind homeplate. In addition to Boys Club and American Legion baseball, Hunt’s Park also hosted occasional home games for the Arkansas Razorback baseball team before the university built a home field on their Fayetteville campus in 1975.

Between 1953-1968, the field was also used by the St. Anne’s Academy football team, and in ‘61, bleachers were built in centerfield to accommodate the football fans. St. Anne’s continued to use the facility until 1968.

3. An aerial view of the the unique field (Copyright 2010 Google)

Because a football field was placed in the outfield, Hunt’s Park has taken on rather strange dimensions. The field still measures 290’ to left, 327’ to right and only 324’ to dead center, making it possibly the only field in the state where the corner is deeper than center.

The unique dimensions have also forced special rules to be put in place at Hunt’s Park. With centerfield so shallow, a ball hit over the fence into the bleachers is ruled but a ground-rule double. However, if a ball is hit over the bleachers, approximately 355 feet, it is ruled a homerun.

4. Center field at Hunt’s Park with the football grandstand and ‘double outfield fence’.

The park has other unique elements as well. The original grandstand still remains, complete with roofing and bleacher seating 250 spectators. On either side of the grandstand is the hillside, which can be used as a berm and seat approximately 500. With the centerfield bleachers, Hunt’s could essentially seat 1,350, approximately.

Other features include a bricked and netted backstop, brick dugouts, a freestanding, two-story press box right of the grandstand, and very large foulgrounds. Concessions are left of the grandstand, and clubrooms are down the third base side.

5. The grandstand, built in 1947.

Altogether, Hunt’s Park is with out a doubt one of the most unique ballparks in Arkansas. From its history to its quirkiness, the park remains an iconic place in Fort Smith. However, the park has begun to show its age, and perhaps may soon be used for the expansion of Oak Cemetery.

Photo Credits:

Photos 1, 4 and 5 courtesy of Steve Wilhelm.

Photo 3 Copyright 2010 Google.

Photo 2 courtesy of the Fort Smith Boys and Girls Club.

For more and larger photos of this park, see the Hunt’s Park Gallery.

Special thanks to Jerry Glidewell, Billy D. Higgins, Steve Wilhelm.