Paterson Field

Exterior of Paterson Field, Jul-2004.

The main seating bowl and press box.

The photographer’s shadow makes its way into this late-afternoon view.

• Location: Madison Avenue at Hall Street, Montgomery, Ala.
• Opened: 1950
• Home team: Montgomery Rebels, Southern Association (1956-57), Southern League (1965-80); Montgomery Wings, All-American Association (2001), Southeastern League (2002-03)
• Capacity: 5,000 (approx.)

Following the 1980 season, the Rebels, dissatisfied with conditions at Paterson, moved out of town. For two decades, the city, the first home of the Confederate government and focal point of the civil rights movement, had no professional baseball. Finally, an independent league team took residence at Paterson Field. The club's success helped lead to the relocation of the Southern League’s Orlando franchise to Montgomery, playing on a new field along the banks of the Alabama River.

Paterson Field continued to be used for the NCAA Division II baseball championship. The tournament was held there from 1968 to 2006. The day I photographed the park, a Dixie Youth Baseball 18-and-under regional tournament was in progress.