Sulphur Dell
Encyclopedia
Sulphur Dell is a former minor league baseball
park in Nashville
, Tennessee
. It was used for baseball
for nearly 100 years, from to . From to , it was the home of the Nashville Vols
minor league team. The ballpark, demolished in , was located in the block between present day Jackson Street, Fourth Avenue, Harrison Street, and Fifth Avenue.
which had a natural sulphur
spring, and was located in the area of French Lick Springs. The lands were used for trading, picnics, and recreation. Baseball was first played there shortly after the end of the Civil War
. Eventually, a portion of the land was designated for baseball and called Athletic Park. It wasn't until 1908, when Grantland Rice
, a local sports journalist for the Nashville Daily News and the Nashville Tennessean
, referred to the ballpark as Sulphur Spring Dell—later shortened to Sulphur Dell.
The original grandstand was built in 1885. It was torn down in the winter of 1926 and 1927, and was rebuilt as a concrete-and-steel structure with a slightly different orientation.
Sulphur Dell was best known for having one of the most significant "terraces
" or sloping outfields in baseball history, a steep incline that ran along the entire outfield wall, most dramatically in right and center fields. The right field fence was only 262 feet from the plate. Whenever games attracted very large crowds, fans sat on the shelf of the right field slope, cutting right field down to 235 feet from the plate. Most right fielders stood about halfway up the slope and were known as "mountain goats." The area was subject to flooding when the Cumberland River
exceeded its banks.
The park was located near the city dump, which lent a unique fragrance to the surroundings. It was also known for being extremely friendly to hitters, which led pitchers to call it "Suffer Hell." Casey Stengel
once joked that he could bunt a home run down the first base line, which was only 42 feet from the stands. The third base line was even closer, at 26 feet.
In 1963, the ballpark was vacated due to the folding of the Nashville Vols. It was converted to a speedway in 1964 but the speedway only operated for a year. In 1969 the decaying structure was demolished. Today it is the site of a number of parking lots north of the state capitol building.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
park in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. It was used for baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
for nearly 100 years, from to . From to , it was the home of the Nashville Vols
Nashville Vols
The Nashville Vols were a minor league baseball team based in Nashville, Tennessee from 1901 to 1963; the team was inactive in 1962. Known as the Nashville Baseball Club during their first seven seasons, they were officially named the Nashville Volunteers in 1908 for the state's nickname, The...
minor league team. The ballpark, demolished in , was located in the block between present day Jackson Street, Fourth Avenue, Harrison Street, and Fifth Avenue.
History
Athletic Park was located near an area known to pioneers as Sulphur Springs Bottom, a bottomland or dellDell (landform)
In physical geography, a dell is a small wooded valley. Like "dale", the word "dell" is derived from the Old English word dæl.-See also:* Cirque* Combe * Coulee* Dells of the Wisconsin River...
which had a natural sulphur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
spring, and was located in the area of French Lick Springs. The lands were used for trading, picnics, and recreation. Baseball was first played there shortly after the end of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Eventually, a portion of the land was designated for baseball and called Athletic Park. It wasn't until 1908, when Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice
Grantland Rice was an early 20th century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio.-Biography:...
, a local sports journalist for the Nashville Daily News and the Nashville Tennessean
The Tennessean
The Tennessean is the principal daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky....
, referred to the ballpark as Sulphur Spring Dell—later shortened to Sulphur Dell.
The original grandstand was built in 1885. It was torn down in the winter of 1926 and 1927, and was rebuilt as a concrete-and-steel structure with a slightly different orientation.
Sulphur Dell was best known for having one of the most significant "terraces
Terrace (stadium)
A terrace or terracing in sporting terms refers to the traditional standing area of a sports stadium, particularly in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
" or sloping outfields in baseball history, a steep incline that ran along the entire outfield wall, most dramatically in right and center fields. The right field fence was only 262 feet from the plate. Whenever games attracted very large crowds, fans sat on the shelf of the right field slope, cutting right field down to 235 feet from the plate. Most right fielders stood about halfway up the slope and were known as "mountain goats." The area was subject to flooding when the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
exceeded its banks.
The park was located near the city dump, which lent a unique fragrance to the surroundings. It was also known for being extremely friendly to hitters, which led pitchers to call it "Suffer Hell." Casey Stengel
Casey Stengel
Charles Dillon "Casey" Stengel , nicknamed "The Old Perfessor", was an American Major League Baseball outfielder and manager. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in ....
once joked that he could bunt a home run down the first base line, which was only 42 feet from the stands. The third base line was even closer, at 26 feet.
In 1963, the ballpark was vacated due to the folding of the Nashville Vols. It was converted to a speedway in 1964 but the speedway only operated for a year. In 1969 the decaying structure was demolished. Today it is the site of a number of parking lots north of the state capitol building.