Landmarks Committee Votes to Add Sites to SABR Baseball Map

The Landmarks Committee held its inaugural election in 2023 to select three new sites to be added to the SABR Baseball Map. SABR members nominated over 30 sites that were not otherwise eligible for the Map, such as:

  1. Locations of former ballparks or other sites where there is no physical structure remaining or historical marker;
  2. Graves of individuals who are not in the Baseball Hall of Fame;
  3. Former ball players’ homes or businesses; and
  4. Baseball-themed restaurants.

Committee member, Sean Kolodziej, even wrote an article for the Hardball Voyager blog in support of recognizing the grave of Eddie Gaedel on the Map.

A vote was conducted, and 70 ballots were counted.  The top three vote-getters were:

  1. West Field in Munhall, PA  (now the site of Chatham University’s athletic fields, this was the location of the Homestead Grays home field in the 1930s and 1940s).
  2. Shoeless Joe Jackson grave in Greenville, SC
  3. Ted “Double Duty” Radcliffe grave in Chicago, IL

The remainder of the top ten will be included on the 2024 ballot, which can be accessed here:

  • Harry Caray grave in Des Plaines, IL
  • Ray Chapman grave in Cleveland, OH
  • Former location of Giants Park in St. Louis, MO
  • Eddie Gaedel grave in Evergreen Park, IL
  • Luke Easter grave in Cleveland, OH
  • Abner Doubleday grave in Arlington, VA
  • Former location of Fitton Field in Worcester, MA

Complete voting results are shown below:

RankTypeSiteAddressCityStatePoints
1BallparkWest Field1848 West St.MunhallPA76
2GraveShoeless Joe Jackson1901 Wade Hampton Boulevard
(Plot located in Section V)


GreenvilleSC70
3GraveTed “Double Duty” RadcliffeOak Woods CemeteryChicagoIL35
4GraveHarry CarayAll Saints Catholic Cemetery and MausoleumDes PlainesIL33
5GraveRay ChapmanLake View Cemetery
12316 Euclid Ave


ClevelandOH33
6BallparkGiants Park6000 N. Broadway, bounded by Broadway, Clarence, Ave, Carrie Ave, and Bulwer AveSt. LouisMO32
7GraveEddie GaedelSaint Mary Catholic CemeteryEvergreen ParkIL26
8GraveLuke EasterHighland Park Cemetery
21400 Chagrin Blvd


ClevelandOH20
9GraveAbner Doubleday321 Sherman Dr.



ArlingtonVA20
10BallparkFitton Field1 College St.WorcesterMA16
GraveLouis SockalexisOld Town Cemetery
59 Down St.


Old TownME10
GraveChick StahlLindenwood Cemetery 2324 Main Street



Fort WayneIN7
GraveLouis HeilbronerLindenwood Cemetery 2324 Main Street



Fort WayneIN6
MarkerPittsburg Public Library308 N WalnutPittsburgKS5
GraveA. Bartlett GiamattiGrove Street CemeteryNew HavenCT4
GraveAndy LeonardNew Calvary Cemetery
800 Harvard St.


MattapanMA3
GraveGeorge GoreMasonic Care Community CemeteryUticaNY3
HouseSmoky Joe Wood90 Marvel RdWestville (New Haven)CT3
GraveDuffy LewisHoly Cross Cemetery
Gilchreast Rd


LondonderryNH2
GraveJim DelahantyCalvary Cemetery
10000 Miles Ave


ClevelandOH2
GraveEverett ScottElm Grove Cemetery 3500 IN -124



BlufftonIN1
GraveJim KonstantyMaple Grove CemeteryWorcesterNY1
GraveAmericus McKimElmwood Cemetery, 4900 East Truman RoadKansas CityMO0
GraveFrank DelahantyCalvary Cemetery
10000 Miles Ave


ClevelandOH0
GraveJoe DelahantyCalvary Cemetery
10000 Miles Ave


ClevelandOH0
GraveJimmy McAleer344 Oak Hill Ave.



YoungstownOH0
GraveEd McKeanCalvary Cemetery
10000 Miles Ave


ClevelandOH0
GraveBonesetter Reese344 Oak Hill Ave.



YoungstownOH0
GravePatsy TebeauCalvary Cemetery
10000 Miles Ave


ClevelandOH0
GraveBill WambsganssCalvary Cemetery
10000 Miles Ave


ClevelandOH0
GraveJack BarrySacred Heart Cemetery 250 Gypsy LnMeridenCT0
GraveJumping Jack JonesEast Lawn CemeteryEast HavenCT0
Grocery StoreJim Lemon3811 Hamilton StHyattsvilleMD0
BallparkDon Gutteridge Sports Complex702 Memorial DrPittsburgKS0

*Ned Hanlon’s gravesite was inadvertently listed on the initial ballot despite it having already been included on the SABR Baseball Map due to his Hall of Fame status. Any votes for this site were not counted.

Socially Distanced Field Trips with the Homestead Grays

Picture it: It’s the fall of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly all aspects of day-to-day life. Groceries are delivered weekly and from 8:00 to 5:00 every day, my dining room table is converted into my office. I actually enjoy working from home and I am thrilled with the number of virtual conferences, presentations, and book clubs I’m able to attend. In short, lockdown wasn’t terrible for some of us with more introverted personalities. Nevertheless, some measure of boredom set in and the need to get out of the house and do something fun safely, while keeping a proper distance from others, began to grow. Exploring Pittsburgh’s cemeteries was, obviously to me, the answer.   

Pittsburgh offers no shortage of spaces in which to indulge my interests, be they historical, sports-related, or connected to my love of all things pop culture. Within the following two years, I would find Honus Wagner’s grave at Jefferson Memorial Cemetery in Pleasant Hills, where, by the way, there is an abundance of mosquitoes in the summer. You’ve been warned. Frank Gorshin, who played the Riddler in the 1960s Batman television series (I am a huge fan) is buried in Calvary Catholic Cemetery, as it turns out, right next to my pre-work-from-home office.  I was thrilled when Amazon Prime filmed a bulk of the new A League of Their Own series around Pittsburgh and tracking down those locations kept me busy several weeks in a row. Before all of that, however, I knew my maiden pandemic field trip would be in search of the final resting place of Cum Posey.

Homestead Cemetery in Munhall is a 10-minute drive from my house. Traveling south from the Squirrel Hill and Greenfield neighborhoods provides the baseball tourist plenty to see in terms of Negro Leagues history in a very short area along the way. First, I crossed the Monongahela River via the formerly named High Level Bridge, built in 1936. The structure was renamed the Homestead Grays Bridge in 2002 and in warmer months, features banners of former Grays and Crawfords players on light fixtures along both sides. At the end of the bridge, there are a few markers to see and it’s worth parking nearby and walking up to them. First, there is the bridge marker itself, complete with the Homestead Grays logo. Within a few feet is a Pennsylvania state historical marker providing a brief history of the team. Across the street, a painted banner hangs from the side of the building depicting Josh Gibson’s likeness and again, the Homestead Grays’ logo.

A block to the east, located in Hazel Way (an alley between 8th and 9th Avenues), lies the new Josh Gibson mural created by artist Jeremy Raymer and unveiled in 2021. The 2,000 square foot painting covers the entire back of a building, currently occupied by the Voodoo Brewing Company. The project was approved by Pittsburgh’s Josh Gibson Foundation, an organization that provides academic and athletic opportunities for young people. The art is outstanding and just one of many of Raymer’s murals found throughout Pittsburgh, which include personal favorites of horror icon Tom Savini in Lawrenceville and Roberto Clemente on the city’s north side. As a bonus, it’s now possible to catch a glimpse of the mural while traveling south on the Homestead Grays bridge.  All of these Homestead and Munhall locations are technically within walking distance of one another, but keep in mind Pittsburgh’s extremely hilly landscape.

Further up the hill toward the cemetery lies another piece of Homestead Grays history. Just behind the Munhall municipal buildings and police station sits West Field, long ago a playing field and practice area for the Homestead Grays. Built in the late 1930s, the Grays used this facility, among others, for exhibition games, spring training, and official games when Forbes Field was otherwise unavailable.

Though completely renovated several years ago, the field is still worth stopping for on the way through Munhall. The playing field is completely turf now with the capability of hosting baseball, softball, football, and soccer games. Currently home to the Chatham University baseball and softball programs as well as the Steel Valley High School baseball team, the baseball field’s grandstand occupies the same space as the original West Field stadium. While the field offers little for the baseball history fan, it remains an interesting location to take in, knowing who played here decades ago.

Another three blocks up the hill, and finally, Homestead Cemetery sits opposite St. John Cemetery across Munhall’s Main Street. Weather permitting, the cemetery is open daily from sunrise to sunset. Upon entering the cemetery, the Posey family plot is located in Section D, which is situated between the two driveways on the left-hand side. Cumberland (“Cum”) Willis Posey Jr. was born in 1890 and is regarded as one of the finest all-around athletes of his time, certainly in western Pennsylvania.

A standout in baseball and basketball, Posey began playing with the Homestead Grays in 1911, was managing the team five years later, and by the 1920s became an owner for the next 25 seasons. Buried next to him is Ethel T. Posey, his wife of over 30 years. Thanks to the SABR Women in Baseball Committee, I knew that Ethel inherited ownership of the team after his death in 1946, making her a significant figure in Homestead Grays and baseball history. As with Josh Gibson’s grave across town in Allegheny Cemetery, there are sure to be items left in tribute by visitors—usually baseballs, trading cards, or photos. Cum Posey was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame a decade later.

Pittsburgh is a fun city that is full of monuments, exhibits, and memorials to its rich sports history and traditions. The SABR Landmarks Map is an excellent resource for finding these locations and more Negro League memorials across the country. For a huge dose of history packed into a small geographic location, look no further than Homestead and Munhall, Pennsylvania.