Calling all historians...

[whitehse]

A town that is not very far from where I live is Watertown, Wisconsin which is the home of none other that Fred Merkle. Watertown does have a Fred Merkle field as well as a small monument to the towns famous son.



The inscription is as follows:

This memorial is
dedicated to the life of
FRED C. MERKLE

Born in Watertown, WI, Dec. 29, 1888. His father, Ernst Merkle, was a school teacher at Immanuel Lutheran School in Watertown at the time of Fred's birth. Fred made hismajor league debut on 9-21-1907. His outstanding talent, intelligence, and dedication to the game of baseball spanned 2 decades, having been a member of 6 World Series teams: 1911, 1912, 1913, 1916, 1918 and 1926. He was a potent line-drive hitter, agile first baseman and a speedster on the basepaths. He played for the New York Giants, Brooklym Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees.

Donated in 2005 by
The Merkle Family, David J. Stalker & Archie Monuments


I thought the placement of the monument could have been better



Now to be fair, the monument is on the grounds of the "Octagon House" in Watertown that does get a decent amount of traffic...but still.


I know GraceCollector has some photos of my in-laws hometown, Marengo, Illinois where Carl Lundgren, who played for the Cubs and is featured on a t206 card (among others) grew up and is buried. He has a field named after him there and interestingly enought, that same field is one that Cap Anson played an exibtion game on as well. There is a historic marker at the field for Lundgren and is GraceCollector doesnt post his photo I will be heading to Marengo next weekend and can take one if needed.

[tachyonbb]

Aurora Nebraska has Clarence Mitchell Field.





It is currently used by the local american legion club.

[tachyonbb]

Wahoo Nebraska has Sam Crawford field. It is near the old business district. The town just put a lot of money into the field to improve its appearance.



On the plaque inside the stadium four Saunders County baseball legends in addition to Sam Crawford are honored.

Lee Wiegert from Ithaca Nebraska was a Pioneer Nite League pitcher who in 1947 was invited to Dodgers spring training and repeated in 1948 with the Yankees.

Les Munns from Wahoo, pitched for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1934 and 1935.

Joe Kuncl from Prague Nebraska was a Pioneer Nite League Pitcher who played professional minor league ball from 1947=1956.

Just a few miles west of Wahoo is Weston Nebraska, home of Bob Cerv. Bob Cerv played in 5 world series with the Yankees and his major league career stretched from 1951-1959. He was named to the All Star American League team in 1958 and started the all star game. He was also fourth in the voting for the most valuable player award in 1958, ahead of Mickey Mantle who finished fifth that year.

[tachyonbb]

Tilden Nebraska has Richie Ashburn Field



It is a small field with minimal stands and a dirt infield.

[tachyonbb]

Lincoln Nebraska built Landis Field in the early 20's. It was named after Kennesaw Mountain Landis. They thought that he might attend a game or two if they named the field after him. The field is no more but Dan Bretta has a number of pictures of the field. On another note I discovered that one of the employees at the school where I work is his grand daughter.

[Butch7999]

The hamlet of Strykersville, New York notes on the "Welcome to Strykersville" sign on the main road into town (such as it is -- strictly rural) that it's "Home of Jim Konstanty." Does that count?

[jerseygary]

One of the times I was in Poland I made sure I visited Kutno, the town where Stan Musial Field is, home of little league baseball in Eastern Europe. Stan's father was from the area and Kutno adapted him. The locals told me he's visited there and donated the money for the ball field which is part of a larger baseball complex. I gotta tell you, it was strange to talk baseball in Polish!

[gashouse34]

I know Meeker, OK is where Carl Hubbell grew up. They have a museum dedicated to him and a few years back they renamed Main St. to Carl Hubbell Blvd. I have a mini bat somewhere that celebrates the 50th anniversary of Hubbells pitching performance in the '34 all star game and it is from Meeker.

[tachyonbb]

Werner Park in Papillion Nebraska, home of the AAA Omaha Storm Chasers has a statue of Bob Gibson

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9705536@N08/8861500833/

[GKreindler]

Have I mentioned how much you guys rule? Thank you so much for all of these answers, they're gonna be super helpful for a future endeavor.

If y'all know any more and have the time, keep 'em coming!

Thanks again,

Graig

[Scott Garner]

HOF Nolan Ryan is the favorite son of Alvin, TX. Additionally, he is the major benefactor of Alvin Community College. When he signs for $$, this is who benefits. Ryan has been honored by the city of Alvin many times and the Nolan Ryan museum called The Nolan Ryan Center is located on the campus of the college.

Johnny Vander Meer is the pride of Midland Park, NJ.
Vandy was honored by Midland Park with his own day in 1938 and is still prominently featured in their local museum. Vandy never lost touch with his roots and visited his friends and family there until he passed away in 1997.

HOF Bob Feller hailed from Van Meter, IA. Early in his career he was referred to as "The Heater from Van Meter". The Bob Feller Museum is located in Van Meter and is a major draw for tourists that pass through Iowa.

[gracecollector]

Originally Posted by whitehse

I know GraceCollector has some photos of my in-laws hometown, Marengo, Illinois where Carl Lundgren, who played for the Cubs and is featured on a t206 card (among others) grew up and is buried. He has a field named after him there and interestingly enought, that same field is one that Cap Anson played an exibtion game on as well. There is a historic marker at the field for Lundgren and is GraceCollector doesnt post his photo I will be heading to Marengo next weekend and can take one if needed.

Sorry, didn't see this thread until today. Here is the Carl Lundgren Historical Marker in Marengo, IL. Carl was inducted into the Marengo HS Hall of Fame this year (it's initial class of inductees).



In the photo, I'm holding this postcard which showed what the site I'm standing on looked like in 1906.