Old Oriole Park - David B. Stinson Author

Posts tagged Old Oriole Park

Drinking Beer in the Left Field Tasting Room At Old Oriole Park

By David Stinson on July 31, 2015

Peabody Heights Brewery in Baltimore, Maryland, is located on the former site of Old Oriole Park, once home to the Federal League Baltimore Terrapins and the International League Baltimore Orioles.

Six Pack of Old Oriole Park Bohemian Beer, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

In honor of that heritage, the brewery has released a new beer, Old Oriole Park Bohemian. The bottle’s label includes a photograph of a player at Old Oriole Park sliding into home plate, with the grandstand near the left field corner as the backdrop.

Bottle of Old Oriole Park Bohemian Beer, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

On June 27, 2015, Richard O’Keefe, the owner of Peabody Heights Brewery, and J. Hollis Albert, III, General Manager of the brewery, welcomed guests to celebrate the official opening of the tasting room, which is located in what was once left field at Old Oriole Park.

Comptroller Peter Franchot Talks With J. Albert Hollis, III, and Richard O’Keefe, at Grand Opening of Peabody Heights Brewery Tasting Room

Several local dignitaries were in attendance, including Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, Baltimore Orioles Minority Owner Wayne Gioioso, Sr., and Delegate Mary Washington.

Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford Presents Governor’s Citation to J. Albert Hollis, III, and Richard O’Keefe, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Governor’s Citation Presented to Peabody Heights Brewery on the Official Opening of the Oriole Park Tasting Room

Brewer Eli Breitburg-Smith gave a tour of the brewery. In the photo below, Brewer Breitburg-Smith and those assembled are standing in what was once center field.

Eli Breitburg-Smith, Brewer, Leads a Tour of the Peabody Heights Brewery for Dignitaries, including Comptroller Peter Franchot, Baltimore Orioles Minority Owner Wayne Gioioso, Sr., Delegate Mary Washington, and Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford

The left field tasting room includes displays that celebrate Baltimore baseball history, including Old Oriole Park, as well as baseball artwork that captures the spirit of the game.

Old Oriole Park Historical Display at Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Posters of the book Deadball and the movie Field of Dreams Hang on a Wall of the Peabody Heights Brewery Tasting Room

Posters of the book Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, and the Movie Field of Dreams, Adorn the Wall at the Peabody Heights Brewery Tasting Room

The tasting room is now open to the public every weekend, typically from 5-7 pm on Fridays and 11 am to 4 pm on Saturdays.

Old Oriole Park Beer Cases Stacked and Ready to be Filled, Peabody Heights Brewery

If you are a fan of the game and/or a fan of beer, be sure to stop by the left field Tasting Room at Peabody Heights Brewery. And while there, have a bottle of Old Oriole Park Bohemian on the very spot depicted in the label of the bottle that you are holding.

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged Baltimore Orioles Minority Owner Wayne Gioioso Sr., Brewer Eli Breitburg-Smith, Deadball A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, Delegate Mary Washington, Field of Dreams, Field of Dreams Movie Poster, International League Orioles, Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot, Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, Old Oriole Park, Old Oriole Park Bohemian, Old Oriole Park Bohemian Lager, Peabody Heights Brewery, Richard O'Keefe, Terrapin Field. | 4 Comments

Surveying Site of Old Oriole Park at Peabody Heights Brewery

By David Stinson on May 2, 2015

For several years I have wondered about the precise location of old Oriole Park’s home plate. From 1914-1915 the ballpark was known as Terrapin Park and later Oriole Park (V). The ballpark burned down in 1944 and is now the site of Peabody Heights Brewery.

Terrapin Park Postcard (Chessler Company, Baltimore, Maryland)

This past Thursday, the mystery was solved. Richard O’Keefe and J. Hollis B. Albert III of Peabody Heights Brewery (which sits on a portion of the former ballpark site) arranged for a survey of the site to determine the location of home plate, as well as the infield and the outfield.

Anne Leininger of S.J. Martenet Company, Surveying Former Site of Old Oriole Park, Baltimore, Maryland

Home plate was located on what is now a grass strip along Barclay Street, just south of the brewery and across the Street from the entrance to the Barclay School.

J. Hollis B. Albert III , Bernard McKenna, and Richard O’Keefe Standing at Former Site of Home Plate, Old Oriole Park, Baltimore, Maryland

The surveyors also determined the former site of the pitcher’s mound, which was located in a grassy patch of land just south of Peabody Heights Brewery.

Site of Old Oriole Park Pitcher’s Mound, Located Behind Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Site of Old Oriole Park Pitcher’s Mound Looking Toward Home Plate, Baltimore, Maryland

The left field foul line ran parallel to what is now Barclay Street.

Left Field Foul Line marker, old Oriole Park, Baltimore, Maryland

Third base was located next to what is now a loading dock for Peabody Heights Brewery on Barclay Street.

J. Hollis B. Albert III standing next to former location of home plate, old Oriole Park, Baltimore, Maryland

J. Hollis B. Albert III standing next to former location of third base, old Oriole Park, Baltimore, Maryland

Peabody Heights Brewery is in the process of putting together a display about old Oriole Park. Second base was located inside the brewery and Peabody Heights Brewery plans to include it as part of its brewery tour.

Peabody Heights Brewery at Old Oriole Park, Baltimore, Maryland

The tap room/tasting room will include a recreation of the old Oriole Park grandstand with a display and information about old Oriole Park, as well as information about several other former professional ballparks that once dotted the area nearby. The Baltimore Sun’s Jacques Kelly, a baseball fan and historian who grew up nearby, wrote this fine article about the surveying at old Oriole Park. Be sure to stay tuned for more information.

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged Anne Leininger, Barclay School, Bernard McKenna, former location of home plate, former location of pitcher's mound, J. Hollis B. Albert III, Old Oriole Park, Old Oriole Park Bohemian, Old Oriole Park Bohemian Lager, Peabody Heights Brewery, Peabody Heights Brewery at Old Oriole Park, Richard O'Keefe, S.J. Martenet Company, Terrapin Park. | 3 Comments

Baseball and Beer – Peabody Heights Brewery and Old Oriole Park

By David Stinson on February 11, 2015

Peabody Heights Brewery has a rare opportunity to celebrate both Baltimore baseball history and Baltimore Beer. The brewery is located on the former site of Old Oriole Park and Terrapin Park in the Peabody Heights section of Baltimore. The brewery opened a couple of years ago in the former Beverage Capital Corporation bottling plant at 401 E. 30th Street in Baltimore and plans now are underway to celebrate the former ballpark upon which the brewery is built.

Bernard McKenna, Richard O’Keefe, and J. Hollis Albert, III, Outside Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Baseball and Beer in Baltimore go at least as far back as the early 1890s when Harry Von Der Horst, son of John Von Der Horst – the owner of Von Der Horst Brewery – was President of the American Association Baltimore Orioles. In 1892, Harry Von Der Horst’s Orioles joined the National League and just two years later brought Baltimore its first baseball World Championship. The National League Orioles played their home games at Union Park, which was located just four blocks south of what is now Peabody Heights Brewery. Harry Von Der Horst was something of an innovator, not only featuring Von Der Horst beer at Union Park, but also installing what perhaps was the first beer garden to be located in a Major League ballpark.

Richard O’Keefe Giving a Tour of Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

When it comes to baseball and beer, Richard O’Keefe, the owner of Peabody Heights Brewery, and J. Hollis Albert, III, General Manager of the brewery, are innovators as well.

Bernard McKenna, Richard O’Keefe, and J. Hollis Albert, III, Marking the Former Location of Oriole Park Second Base, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

In addition to building one of the finest breweries in Baltimore, O’Keefe and Albert have begun plans to pay homage to the baseball history that lies underneath its building.

J. Hollis Albert, III, and Richard O’Keefe, at Former Location of Oriole Park Third Base, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

The two brewery officials have enlisted the help of others, including baseball historian Bernard McKenna (McKenna was responsible recently for locating the first known photograph of the Baltimore Black Sox’s home field Maryland Park). On a rainy day last December, McKenna and yours truly met with O’Keefe and Albert to tour the facility and determine what portions of Old Oriole Park lies within the brewery grounds.

Beer Bottling Near the Former Infield of Old Oriole Park, Boxing Beer in the Former Outfield of Old Oriole Park, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

We discovered that the former site of both second and third base lies within the brewery building, as well as a portion of right field, center field, and left field. The two story fermenting tanks sit near second base and stretch into what was once right field.

Beer Fermenting Tanks In Old Oriole Park’s Former Right Field, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

The brewery’s boxing area sits in what was once left and center field.

Boxing Beer in the Former Outfield of Old Oriole Park, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Brewmaster Ernie Igot’s mixing tanks sit in the former right field near the first base grandsstand.

Ernie Igot, Head Brewer, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Portions of Old Oriole Park remain on the site, including a concrete support wall that runs along an alley that parallels Greenmount Avenue.

Richard O’Keefe Walks the Eastern Perimeter of Peabody Heights Brewery, Next to Old Oriole Park Concrete Support Wall

Also on the site is a section of the former left field brick fence.

Old Oriole Park Left Field Fence, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Old Oriole Park Left Field Fence as Seen Inside Brewery Compound, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

Old Oriole Park Left Field Fence as Seen From Street, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

The brewery’s loading docks located along the back of the building stretch from left field to center field.

Loading Dock Located in Old Oriole Park Left Field, Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

The former site of Oriole Park’s home plate is located on the sidewalk that parallels Barclay Street, just south of Peabody Heights Brewery.

Former Location of Old Oriole Park Home Plate Just South of Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

With the former site of Old Oriole Park as a backdrop, O’Keefe and Albert are transforming one of Baltimore’s finest breweries into a place where fans of the game can not only take a tour of the brewery, but learn first hand the story of Old Oriole Park, Union Park, and three other professional baseball parks located within walking distance of Peabody Heights.

Richard O’Keefe, David Stinson, and J. Hollis Albert, III, Outside Peabody Heights Brewery, Baltimore, Maryland

The past is all around, you just have to know where to look.

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged American Association, Baltimore, baseball, Bernard McKenna, Beverage Capital Corporation, David Stinson, Ernie Igot, Harry Von Der Horst, J. Hollis Albert III, John Von Der Horst, Old Oriole Park, Old Oriole Park Bohemian, Old Oriole Park Bohemian Lager, Peabody Heights Brewery, Richard O'Keefe, Terrapin Park, Union Park, Von Der Horst Brewery. | 3 Comments

My Interview With Brett Hollander WBAL Radio

By David Stinson on July 18, 2012

WBAL's Brett Hollander

My interview with Brett Hollander on WBAL radio was broadcast before the Orioles/Angels game a week ago Saturday. Mr. Hollander is the host of WBAL’s Sportsline, which is broadcast weeknights from 6 to 9 pm on 1090 AM. Brett also runs feature stories during the weekend before Orioles games, which is when my interview originally aired. The interview aired a second time during one of his shows last week.

We covered a lot of ground – talking about Deadball, how I came up with story line for the novel, the history of baseball in Baltimore, the World Champion National League Orioles of the 1890s, and many of the famous lost Baltimore Ballparks such as Union Park, old Orioles Park (American League Park), and Memorial Stadium.

In case you missed it, here’s the link to the interview posted on WBAL.com:

My Interview With WBAL’s Brett Hollander

Man am I a fast talker!

Thanks for the opportunity, Brett!

This entry is filed under DBS Blog and tagged 1090 AM, 1890s Orioles, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, American League Park, Baltimore baseball, Baltimore Orioles, baseball, Brett Hollander, David B. Stinson, Deadball, Memorial Stadium, National League Baltimore Orioles, Old Oriole Park, sportsline, stinson, Union Park, WBAL.

Drinking Beer in the Left Field Tasting Room At Old Oriole Park

Surveying Site of Old Oriole Park at Peabody Heights Brewery

Baseball and Beer – Peabody Heights Brewery and Old Oriole Park

My Interview With Brett Hollander WBAL Radio

Buy Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel

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