Marcella Vivrette Smith Park to Host Vintage Base Ball

vintage base ball

The Travellers Vintage Base Ball Club of Brentwood now call Marcella Vivrette Smith Park its home field. The City of Brentwood’s newest park, located at 1825 Wilson Pike, will host free, 1864 base ball matches organized by the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball (TAOVBB) on April 24, June 19, and July 10.

“The City of Brentwood is excited to welcome vintage base ball to our city,” says Linda Lynch, community relations director, City of Brentwood. “Families will have the opportunity to experience base ball games as they were played in 1864. The community is invited to bring chairs and quilts to Ravenswood, the 1825 historic home located in Marcella Vivrette Smith Park, and enjoy an afternoon of fun and excitement.”

“The Travellers are grateful to the Franklin Farriers Vintage Base Ball Club for sharing the fields at Carnton Plantation for the last two seasons,” remarks Andy “Professor” Finch, captain of the Travellers, “but we are excited to call Brentwood home in 2016.”

Finch continues, “Smith Park adds another home ground for the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball and an opportunity to attract new fans of vintage base ball. Ravenswood Mansion not only has a long history in Middle Tennessee but it also is a beautiful place to spend an afternoon. The park offers many recreational options, so families will have plenty to do before and after a spirited match of barehanded, Civil War-era baseball.”

Ravenswood Mansion was built by James Hazard Wilson II, who named the home in honor of family friend and future leader of the Texas Revolution, Sam Houston. The Cherokee affectionately referred to Houston as “the Raven” for his black hair. Wilson was a prominent agriculturist and businessman; he was also the majority stakeholder in the company that built Harpeth Turnpike, now Wilson Pike.

As a nod to Wilson’s role as transportation speculator, the vintage base ball club will retain the name Travellers (formally the Travellers Vintage Base Ball Club of Brentwood), which also honors the team’s first iteration as the Oak Hill Travellers. In their first two seasons, the Travellers finished 6-7 and 9-6; in 2015, the club won the TAOVBB’s Sulphur Dell Cup.

For more information about vintage base ball and the 2016 regular season schedule, please visit www.TennesseeVintageBaseBall.com.

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