Celebrating 70+ Years of Baseball

“Take Me Out to the Ballgame in Limeport, PA”.

By Kelly Ann Butterbaugh

 

     The ballpark where Babe Ruth hit his 714th home run no longer stands, and the old days of baseball are gone.  Yet, nestled in the rolling hills of Lehigh County there is still such a place that calls to the fans and offers what was lost when the old fields were torn down.  Locals call it their Field of Dreams, and indeed it seems as if it could be.  Abutting fields and the remnants of what was once a dairy farm, Limeport Stadium is as it was 73 years ago.

     The Limeport Stadium, located in Lehigh County, is one of the old time ballparks which not only still stands but hasn’t lost its charm.  Built in 1932 to resemble the old Connie Mack Stadium of the Phillies, Limeport Stadium hasn’t changed much since then.  It still is a solid brick structure with metal trusses, and visitors still sit in the original fold-down green seats that were installed the night before the stadium’s opening day.  Built by Howard Fegley to meet the needs of the growing baseball crowd in the area, the stadium was built next to his dairy farm.  The stadium which holds 1,100 seats, opened on July 30, 1933 to a crowd of over 4,000 people who came to see the Limeport Milkmen play.

     Since then only a few things have changed at Limeport.  Fegley’s house still sits in front of the parking lot of the stadium, although Howard “Lefty” Fegley died in 1959.  The biggest change to the stadium has been the addition of lights which were added in 1984, allowing the local teams to expand their schedule to include night games.  Other modernities which have been added over the years include a PA system, an electronic scoreboard, and batting and pitching cages.

     The stadium has always been a unique part of Pennsylvania baseball.  One unique claim is that the outfield is noted as the deepest center field in ballpark history, professional or amateur.  Reaching 485 feet from home plate, it often inspires the call of “You got it!” from team members rather than the familiar “I got it!” Center field also boasts a steep incline due to the surrounding hills and a boulder buried beneath it. 

     “It was simply too cost prohibitive for Howard Fegley to remove it,” says Chris Barebo of the boulder.  Barebo is the announcer for both teams housed at the stadium, the Limeport Dodgers who are part of the Blue Mountain League and the Limeport Bulls who are in the Tri-County League. 

     Only one player has ever hit a ball over that centerfield fence, and it is Alex Sabo who later played with the Washington Senators from 1936-1937.

     Another oddity at the stadium is that no professional team has played a league game there, nor will they ever.  Only amateur teams get the privilege of rounding third plate where Fegley’s beagle named Penny is said to be buried. 

     The stadium is maintained by the volunteer organization known as Limeport Stadium Incorporated, and the mission of the group, as explained by member Tom Fulton, is “to preserve the stadium and keep it in its original state…to provide a quality facility for players to play the game they love, to provide a great setting for the community to come and watch local baseball.”

     When Limeport Stadium Inc was formed in 1990, its charter labeled it as a non-profit group which governed a stadium reserved for amateur players only. 

     “It’s a place where amateur players can develop their skills and participate in amateur league competition,” says Fulton.

     Yet, in the beginning Howard Fegley’s team was part of the East Penn League, and they were paid.

     “It was very minimal, but under today’s rules, they would have been considered professional players,” explains Fulton.

     Barebo notes that most of the amateur teams played by Limeport’s Dodgers and Bulls don’t have their own stadiums.  “They use the public park system’s fields which means the fans have no seats, no announcers, etc.”  To prove the leagues’ love of the stadium, the annual All Star games are played at Limeport as well as championship playoffs which may or may not include the Limeport teams.  The stadium also accommodates local high school and college teams.

     While the stadium is off limits to professional teams, that doesn’t mean that its alumni haven’t gone on to play professional ball.  One such alumni is Jim Schaffer who played and coached for several major and minor league teams during his 35 year professional baseball career.  Schaffer can be seen volunteering as a member of LSI at the stadium where his father also played ball.  Other names such as Curt Simmons and Bobby Schantz spent early days playing at Fegley’s stadium. 

     So, what is it that attracts people to the stadium?  Barebo explains, “You feel special when you are there, almost like being on hollowed grounds.  The people at Limeport are unique—they welcome you into ‘their house.’”

     It is this magic that attracted Hollywood’s attention when filming the movie Rounding First in 2005.  The stadium served as a backdrop to coming of age film shot on location around the Lehigh Valley.

     Despite its charm, the stadium does have its challenges.  As an older building it needs repairs which will be completed thanks to LSI and the donations of supporters.  LSI volunteers put in “work hours” on Saturday mornings as they maintain their old friend. 

      “The average life expectancy of a ball stadium is now less than 40 years.  The fact that Limeport is still thriving while being 75 years young is a loud statement as to how special this place has and continues to be,” says Barebo, known as the “Voice of Limeport.”

     The All-American pastime is still alive in Limeport, and its walls invite people to spend a lazy summer afternoon watching an old fashioned ball game. 


 

From Pennsylvania Magazine -- July/August 2007

Copyright © 2007, KellyButterbaugh.com