Hilldale Park
Encyclopedia
Hilldale Park was a ballpark in Darby, Pennsylvania
at the corner of Chester and Cedar Avenues. It was the home field of the Hilldale Daisies
professional baseball team which played in the Negro Leagues between 1910 and 1932. The ballpark opened in 1914. It is said to have had a well-manicured field. A large tree stood in center-field, the branches of which overlooked the field and were considered in play.
Hilldale's average attendance at Hilldale Park was 1,844 per-game in 1926 and 1,371 in 1929.
On October 14, 2006, over 500 individuals gathered for the dedication of a Pennsylvania Historical marker at the former site of the ballpark. The ceremony was attended by Philadelphia Phillies
hitting coach Milt Thompson, former Phillies player Garry Maddox, and Gene Dias, Phillies director of community relations,. Also attending were the four living members of the Negro League Philadelphia Stars
, Bill Cash, Mahlon Duckett, Stanley Glenn, and Harold Gould, and Ray Mackey, great grandnephew of former Hilldale and Stars player Biz Mackey
. Area businessman John Bossong
led the effort for the historical marker.
The marker is titled, "The Hilldale Athletic Club (The Darby Daisies)" and the text reads,
Darby, Pennsylvania
Darby is a borough in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, along Darby Creek southwest of downtown Philadelphia. It has a public library founded in 1743 and a cemetery more than 300 years old. The Quakers lived there early in the colonial era. Darby was settled about 1660 and was...
at the corner of Chester and Cedar Avenues. It was the home field of the Hilldale Daisies
Hilldale Club
The Hilldale Athletic Club was an African American professional baseball team based in Darby, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia....
professional baseball team which played in the Negro Leagues between 1910 and 1932. The ballpark opened in 1914. It is said to have had a well-manicured field. A large tree stood in center-field, the branches of which overlooked the field and were considered in play.
Hilldale's average attendance at Hilldale Park was 1,844 per-game in 1926 and 1,371 in 1929.
Contemporary Honors and Celebrations
Historical MarkerOn October 14, 2006, over 500 individuals gathered for the dedication of a Pennsylvania Historical marker at the former site of the ballpark. The ceremony was attended by Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
hitting coach Milt Thompson, former Phillies player Garry Maddox, and Gene Dias, Phillies director of community relations,. Also attending were the four living members of the Negro League Philadelphia Stars
Philadelphia Stars (baseball)
The Philadelphia Stars were a Negro league baseball team from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Stars were founded in 1933 when Ed Bolden returned to professional black baseball after being idle since early 1930...
, Bill Cash, Mahlon Duckett, Stanley Glenn, and Harold Gould, and Ray Mackey, great grandnephew of former Hilldale and Stars player Biz Mackey
Biz Mackey
James Raleigh "Biz" Mackey was an American catcher and manager in Negro league baseball. He came to be regarded as black baseball's premier catcher in the late 1920s and early 1930s...
. Area businessman John Bossong
Bossong
Bossong is a surname common to Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany and Alsace in France.- Surname history :The Bossong family is of Frankish origin. This is neither Teutonic nor French, but a separate race, almost extinct today...
led the effort for the historical marker.
The marker is titled, "The Hilldale Athletic Club (The Darby Daisies)" and the text reads,
This baseball team, whose home was here at Hilldale Park, won the Eastern Colored League championship three times and the 1925 Negro League World Series. Darby fielded Negro League teams from 1910 to 1932. Notable players included baseball hall of fame members Pop Lloyd, Judy Johnson, Martin Dihigo, Joe Williams, Oscar Charleston, Ben Taylor, Biz Mackey, and Louis Santop. Owner Ed Bolden helped form the Eastern Colored League.