Home of the Leafs

Entrance to Rocky Mount Municipal Stadium (then known as Gryphons Stadium), Sep-2007.

The main seating bowl, as seen from down the third-base line.

The view of the field from behind home plate.

• Location: Howell Street off Hammond Street, Rocky Mount, N.C.
• Opened: Unknown as Municipal Stadium
• Additional names: Gryphons Stadium (1990s), American Legion Field (2013)
• Home team: Rocky Mount Leafs (1962-63, 1965-72), Senators (1964), Phillies (1973-75), Pines (1980), Carolina League
• Capacity: Unknown

Rocky Mount had a team in the Carolina League from 1962-75 and again in 1980, playing here at Municipal Stadium. I am not aware of when the stadium was built; teams in the Piedmont, Coastal Plain, and Bi-State leagues may have played here as well.

I was told on my 2007 visit to Rocky Mount that the old stadium was torn down sometime after 1988, and the outfield fence (now only 340 to center) was shortened at the same time to make the dimensions more suitable for high school ball. The field later became home to the Rocky Mount Gryphons; the high school serves this city and surrounding areas in Nash and Edgecombe counties (which the city straddles). Site visitor Joe Bell advises that the Gryphons now play on their own field on a new high school campus; this field is now home to Coleman-Pitt Post 58 American Legion Baseball.