Pynchon Park
Sports venue in Springfield, Massachusetts From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pynchon Park, also known as Hampden Park and League Park, was a sports venue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1853 by the Hampden Agricultural Society and was destroyed by fire in 1966.[1]
 A poster promoting a Springfield Bicycle Club event in September 1883 when the stadium was known as Hampden Park | |
 | |
| Location | Springfield, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42.1102°N 72.6103°W |
| Opened | 1853 |
| Closed | 1966 |
| Tenants | |
| Springfield Bicycle Club Springfield Giants Springfield Acorns | |
The venue hosted various events, including horse racing, bicycle racing, and college football (including several editions of the Harvard–Yale football rivalry). It also served as home grounds for the minor league baseball team primarily known as the Springfield Ponies.
In 1853 the Hampden Agricultural Society paid $15,405 for the land on the site with the intention of creating a venue for the National Trotting Organization to hold its meetings.[2] However the facilities were then used for a broader range of recreational activities. With the advent of the American Civil War, Hampden Park was used as a muster point for the 10th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.[2] The 46th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment – which was primarily recruited in Hampden County
In 1885 and 1896, cycling's hour record was unofficially broken multiple times at Hampden Park.[3]
Renamed in 1940 for early settler William Pynchon, but the park came down in a blaze on the sixties.[citation needed]
College football
| Date | Winning team | Result | Losing team | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 24, 1881 | Amherst | 0–0 | Dartmouth | [4] |
| October 30, 1889 | Wesleyan | 20–17 | Williams | |
| November 9, 1889 | Harvard | 67–2 | Wesleyan | [5] |
| November 16, 1889 | Yale | 52–0 | Wesleyan | [6][7] |
| November 22, 1889 | Lehigh | 11–11 | Wesleyan | [8] |
| November 23, 1889 | Dartmouth | 20–9 | Williams | [9] |
| November 23, 1889 | Yale | 6–0 | Harvard | [10][11] |
| November 12, 1890 | Harvard | 64–0 | Amherst | [12][13] |
| November 21, 1890 | Wesleyan | 34–6 | Brown | [14] |
| November 22, 1890 | Harvard | 12–6 | Yale | [15][16][17][18] |
| November 21, 1891 | Yale | 10–0 | Harvard | [19] |
| October 26, 1892 | Yale | 50–0 | Springfield YMCA | [20] |
| November 19, 1892 | Yale | 6–0 | Harvard | [21] |
| November 25, 1893 | Yale | 6–0 | Harvard | |
| October 17, 1894 | Yale | 34–0 | Dartmouth | [22][23] |
| November 24, 1894 | Brown | 20-4 | Dartmouth | [24][25] |
| November 24, 1894 | Yale | 12–4 | Harvard | |
| November 25, 1905 | Dartmouth | 24–6 | Brown | [26] |
| October 27, 1906 | Dartmouth | 0–0 | Williams | |
| November 24, 1906 | Brown | 23–0 | Dartmouth | |
The Hampden Park Blood Bath
Hampden Park provided a neutral venue between Cambridge and New Haven suitable for the annual Harvard-Yale game between 1889 and 1894.[27] However the 1894 edition led to such violence and injury that the match was suspended for two years. It subsequently became known as the Hampden Park Blood Bath, also known as the Springfield Massacre.[28]
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