History
Built in a month on the former Josiah Chapin farm, the park opened on May 1, 1878. The Grays installed a backstop that year, the first by a professional team, and played there through 1885, going 84–28 in 1884.
A minor-league Grays club drew poorly in 1886. The property was sold on February 16, 1887, subdivided and built over with houses by the end of that year.
Why it matters: It was Providence's only major-league ballpark.
Timeline
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Houses (subdivided and built over by the end of 1887) |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Providence Grays | National League · 1878–1885 |
|---|---|
| Providence Grays | National League · 1886 |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Other names | Messer Park; Messer Field |
|---|---|
| Location | Providence, Rhode Island |
| Venue type | Ballpark |
| Sports | Baseball |
| Level | MLB, Minor league |
| Opened | May 1, 1878[1] |
| Last used for sports | September 1886[1] |
| Demolished | 1887[1] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 6,000[1] |
| Capacity notes | Infobox 6,000; the text describes a grandstand for 1,200. |
| Closure | The 1886 minor-league team drew poorly and the property was sold in February 1887. |
Documented details
Sources
- Messer Street Grounds, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: capacity, closed, coordinates, demolished, events, opened
- Messer Street Grounds (park PRO02), Baseball Data Hub. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: coordinates, teams
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (2)
- Wikipedia's infobox says it closed in September 1886, while the text says it was empty by early June 1886.
- Capacity 6,000 (infobox) vs. a 1,200-seat grandstand (text).
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.