Pynchon Park
 A poster promoting a Springfield Bicycle Club event in September 1883 when the stadium was known as Hampden Park | |
 Interactive map of Pynchon Park | |
| Location | Springfield, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°06′37″N 72°36′37″W / 42.1102°N 72.6103°W |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1853 |
| Closed | 1966 |
| 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.
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. The facilities were also 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. The 46th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was primarily recruited in Hampden County
In 1885 and 1896, cycling's hour record was unofficially broken multiple times at Hampden Park.
Renamed in 1940 for early settler William Pynchon, the park came down in a blaze in 1966.
College football
| Date | Winning team | Result | Losing team | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 24, 1881 | Amherst | 0–0 | Dartmouth | |
| October 30, 1889 | Wesleyan | 20–17 | Williams | |
| November 9, 1889 | Harvard | 67–2 | Wesleyan | |
| November 16, 1889 | Yale | 52–0 | Wesleyan | |
| November 22, 1889 | Lehigh | 11–11 | Wesleyan | |
| November 23, 1889 | Dartmouth | 20–9 | Williams | |
| November 23, 1889 | Yale | 6–0 | Harvard | |
| November 12, 1890 | Harvard | 64–0 | Amherst | |
| November 21, 1890 | Wesleyan | 34–6 | Brown | |
| November 22, 1890 | Harvard | 12–6 | Yale | |
| November 21, 1891 | Yale | 10–0 | Harvard | |
| October 26, 1892 | Yale | 50–0 | Springfield YMCA | |
| November 19, 1892 | Yale | 6–0 | Harvard | |
| November 25, 1893 | Yale | 6–0 | Harvard | |
| October 17, 1894 | Yale | 34–0 | Dartmouth | |
| November 24, 1894 | Brown | 20-4 | Dartmouth | |
| November 24, 1894 | Yale | 12–4 | Harvard | |
| November 25, 1905 | Dartmouth | 24–6 | Brown | |
| October 27, 1906 | Dartmouth | 0–0 | Williams | |
| November 24, 1906 | Brown | 23–0 | Dartmouth | |
The Hampden Park Blood Bath
Hampden Park provided a neutral venue between Cambridge and New Haven suitable for the annual Harvard-Yale game between 1889 and 1894, but the 1894 edition 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.
References
- ↑ Strahan, Derek (2017). Lost Springfield, Massachusetts. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 131–137. ISBN 978-1-4671-3666-2.
- 1 2 Healey, Paul. "Pynchon Park". www.projectballpark.org. Paul Healey. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Amherst Vs. Dartmouth—Game Unfinished". The Boston Daily Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 25, 1881. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com
. - ↑ "Harvard Defeats Wesleyan". The New York Times. November 10, 1889. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Yale, 52; Wesleyan, 0". The New York Times. November 17, 1889. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Yale, 52; Wesleyan, 0". The Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 17, 1889. p. 4. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "A Tie Game". The Meriden Daily Journal. Meriden, Connecticut. November 23, 1889. p. 3. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Dartmouth Beats Williams". The Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 24, 1889. p. 7. Retrieved March 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Yale Wins From Harvard". The New York Times. November 24, 1889. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Leather Chasing". Brooklyn Citizen. Brooklyn, New York. November 24, 1889. p. 3. Retrieved March 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Rush, Run and Punt: Harvard Science Against Amherst Beef". The Boston Globe. November 13, 1890. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "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 .
- ↑ "Wesleyan, 34; Brown, 6". The Boston Daily Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 22, 1890. p. 5. Retrieved March 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Crimson: Even Ladies, Who Blushed". The Boston Globe. November 23, 1890. pp. 1, 4.
- ↑ "Coming of the Thousands". The Boston Globe. November 23, 1890. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "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.
- ↑ "Yale Whipped By Harvard". The Sun. New York, New York. November 23, 1890. p. 8. Retrieved March 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Yale 10, Harvard 0: And The Great Match Is Over". The Evening World. November 21, 1891. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Yale Won, As Usual: A 50 to 0 Victory Over the Springfield Eleven". The Hartford Courant. October 27, 1892. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Yale's Narrow Victory: Harvard Defeated at Football in a Magnificent Game". New York Tribune. November 20, 1892. pp. 1, 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Yale 34, Dartmouth 0". The Boston Daily Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. October 18, 1894. p. 4. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Yales Wins Over Dartmouth". Boston Evening Transcript. Boston, Massachusetts. October 18, 1894. p. 5. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Dartmouth vs. Brown Today". The Boston Daily Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 24, 1894. p. 10. Retrieved March 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Dartmouth "Not In It."". The Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. November 25, 1894. p. 22. Retrieved March 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ↑ "Tricks win for old Dartmouth". The Boston Globe. November 26, 1905. Retrieved June 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Strahan, Derek (24 March 2014). "Hampden Park, Springfield, Mass - Lost New England". Lost New England. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ↑ Sahlberg, Jacqueline (2011). "Memorable Games in Harvard-Yale history". Yale Daily News. No. 18 November 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2023.