Peter Rasmus Field

The unusual configuration of Peter Rasmus Memorial Field, Jun-2011.

A look out at the field from the covered grandstand along the first-base side.

The behind-the-plate view only accessible from within the clubhouse.

• Location: 9th Street between Berry and Passaic streets, Carlstadt, N.J. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1951
• Home team: Carlstadt Little League

At about the same time, the Little League Baseball movement swept through southern Bergen County. Carlstadt, which had been settled by Germans in the 1860s and was best known for having established the first Kindergarten in New Jersey as well as publishing a German-language newspaper, jumped in on the trend. Rasmus Field, which became a stadium-like facility with a covered grandstand along the first-base line, was chosen for its uniqueness to be the site of regional Little League tournaments in the mid-1950s. The site’s proximity to NJ 17, a main north-south artery, was also a key factor.

The covered grandstand is still evident today, along with the three-story clubhouse behind the plate. The field level, one floor below the main entrance, is reserved for equipment storage; the concession stand is at street level; and the top floor consists of a press box and a modest meeting room.

A scoreboard with six-inning line score is located in left field, near the highway right-of-way. This board, dating to 2010, replaced several other electric scoreboards dating to 1982. Prior to that, the field sported an old-fashioned hand-operated scoreboard, with electric bull’s-eyes for the count and outs. The field’s other significant feature is the fenced-in memorial to Peter Rasmus in dead center.