Lamar Porter Athletic Field
Encyclopedia
Lamar Porter Athletic Field is located in the Stifft Station Historic District neighborhood of Little Rock, Arkansas
. It is a Works Administration
built baseball
field placed on the National Register of Historic Places
on December 6, 1990. Hall of Fame
third baseman
Brooks Robinson
started his career at Porter Field.
As described in its National Register nomination form, the construction of the ball field was "one of the bell weather
events of the early years of the Little Rock Boys’ Club." When it was built, the 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) site was in what was then regarded as “west” Little Rock in an area identified as desirable for park and playing field development by John Nolen, a nationally renowned city planner and landscape architect who was dismayed by the lack of recreational facilities in Little Rock.
Nolen observed that although school grounds offered the "opportunity for the sand boxes and apparatus used by small children, there remained a demonstrable need for two classes of playgrounds where boys between ten and sixteen and from sixteen upwards can have the opportunity for […] more seriously organized games.”
Construction of just such a field began in the Fall of 1934 and employed workmen with the federal Works Progress Administration. The project took 18 months to complete. Tennis courts, playgrounds, and other recreational spaces complement the ball field.
Lamar Porter was the son of Mr. And Mrs. Q. L. Porter of Little Rock, born August 17, 1913. He was educated in Little Rock's public schools, attended Little Rock High School, and graduated from Sewanee Military Academy in Tennessee
in 1931. Porter was a junior at Washington and Lee University
in Virginia
when he was killed May 12, 1934, in an automobile accident between Lexington
and Staunton, Virginia
.
It was the family of Lamar Porter, in attempt to memorialize his life, who provided the land and money required to build the eponymous baseball field. His mother; aunt, Mrs. J.D. Jordan; and his brother, Jim S. Porter made the donation on the first anniversary of Porter's death, which coincidentally fell on Mother's Day.
When the complex was complete, it held a lighted softball diamond with underground wiring, four lighted tennis court
s, a regulation baseball diamond, a 1,500-seat grandstand
complete with club rooms, shower and locker rooms, rest rooms, and a concession stand. It was first used by Boys' Club teams in the summer of 1936; by 1937, it was also being used by City Leagues and American Legion teams.
The property also held and apparatus area with swings, slides, and jungle gym
s; a small children's play area that included hammocks, small slides, and kindergarten tables; a play area for older children with facilities for handcrafts and quiet games; and other areas with courts for shuffle boards, marbles, horse shoes, handball
, volley ball, and table tennis
, as well as picnic areas and a "stage for dramatics."
Lamar Porter Athletic Field opened to the public in 1937 at the corner of Seventh and Johnson streets where it eventually became home to Pewee League, Midget League, Little League
, Pony League, American Legion
, and semi-pro baseball teams. The Little Rock Doughboys were the only Legion team in town until they were replaced by an eight-team Legion league in 1954.
The baseball sequence from the 1984 film A Soldier's Story
was filmed at the historic field.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. It is a Works Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
built 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...
field placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 6, 1990. Hall of Fame
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 25 Main Street in Cooperstown, New York, operated by private interests serving as the central point for the study of the history of baseball in the United States and beyond, the display of...
third baseman
Third baseman
A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run...
Brooks Robinson
Brooks Robinson
Brooks Calbert Robinson, Jr. is a former American professional baseball player. He played his entire 23-year major league career for the Baltimore Orioles . Nicknamed "The Human Vacuum Cleaner", he is generally acclaimed as the greatest defensive third-basemen in major league history...
started his career at Porter Field.
As described in its National Register nomination form, the construction of the ball field was "one of the bell weather
Bellwether
A bellwether is any entity in a given arena that serves to create or influence trends or to presage future happenings.The term is derived from the Middle English bellewether and refers to the practice of placing a bell around the neck of a castrated ram leading his flock of sheep.The movements of...
events of the early years of the Little Rock Boys’ Club." When it was built, the 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) site was in what was then regarded as “west” Little Rock in an area identified as desirable for park and playing field development by John Nolen, a nationally renowned city planner and landscape architect who was dismayed by the lack of recreational facilities in Little Rock.
Nolen observed that although school grounds offered the "opportunity for the sand boxes and apparatus used by small children, there remained a demonstrable need for two classes of playgrounds where boys between ten and sixteen and from sixteen upwards can have the opportunity for […] more seriously organized games.”
Construction of just such a field began in the Fall of 1934 and employed workmen with the federal Works Progress Administration. The project took 18 months to complete. Tennis courts, playgrounds, and other recreational spaces complement the ball field.
Lamar Porter was the son of Mr. And Mrs. Q. L. Porter of Little Rock, born August 17, 1913. He was educated in Little Rock's public schools, attended Little Rock High School, and graduated from Sewanee Military Academy in 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...
in 1931. Porter was a junior at Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University
Washington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
when he was killed May 12, 1934, in an automobile accident between Lexington
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
and Staunton, Virginia
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
.
It was the family of Lamar Porter, in attempt to memorialize his life, who provided the land and money required to build the eponymous baseball field. His mother; aunt, Mrs. J.D. Jordan; and his brother, Jim S. Porter made the donation on the first anniversary of Porter's death, which coincidentally fell on Mother's Day.
When the complex was complete, it held a lighted softball diamond with underground wiring, four lighted tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s, a regulation baseball diamond, a 1,500-seat grandstand
Grandstand
A grandstand is a large and normally permanent structure for seating spectators, most often at a racetrack. This includes both auto racing and horse racing. The grandstand is in essence like a single section of a stadium, but differs from a stadium in that it does not wrap all or most of the way...
complete with club rooms, shower and locker rooms, rest rooms, and a concession stand. It was first used by Boys' Club teams in the summer of 1936; by 1937, it was also being used by City Leagues and American Legion teams.
The property also held and apparatus area with swings, slides, and jungle gym
Jungle gym
The jungle gym, monkey bars, or climbing frame, is a piece of playground equipment made of many pieces of material, such as metal pipe or rope, on which children can climb, hang, or sit. The monkey bar designation refers to the rambunctious, climbing play of monkeys.-History:The first jungle gym...
s; a small children's play area that included hammocks, small slides, and kindergarten tables; a play area for older children with facilities for handcrafts and quiet games; and other areas with courts for shuffle boards, marbles, horse shoes, handball
American handball
American handball is a sport in which players hit a small rubber ball against a wall using their hands.- History :...
, volley ball, and table tennis
Table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...
, as well as picnic areas and a "stage for dramatics."
Lamar Porter Athletic Field opened to the public in 1937 at the corner of Seventh and Johnson streets where it eventually became home to Pewee League, Midget League, Little League
Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball is a non-profit organization in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States which organizes local youth baseball and softball leagues throughout the U.S...
, Pony League, American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
, and semi-pro baseball teams. The Little Rock Doughboys were the only Legion team in town until they were replaced by an eight-team Legion league in 1954.
The baseball sequence from the 1984 film A Soldier's Story
A Soldier's Story
A Soldier's Story is a 1984 drama film directed by Norman Jewison, based upon Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize-winning Off Broadway production A Soldier's Play. A black officer is sent to investigate the murder of a black sergeant in Louisiana near the end of World War II...
was filmed at the historic field.