Hamtramck seeks historic designation for Negro League ballfield

There are only five ballparks left in America that once housed Negro League ball clubs — and one of them is right in Hamtramck.

The years haven’t been kind to Veterans Memorial Field, which opened in 1930 as Roesink Stadium and housed the Detroit Stars (and thousands of African-American fans) for decades. Now, a team of preservationists are working to have the field added to the National Register of Historic Places. That’s the first step to renovating the diamond (at a cost of $500,000 to $750,000, it’s an excellent candidate for restoration) so that, once again, this field can house the boys and girls of summer.

Excerpt:

Mayor Karen Majewski said the project unites many interests. Nettie
Mae Stearnes, 92, the widow of Norman Thomas (Turkey) Stearnes, an
outfielder who joined the Detroit Stars in 1923, said her husband played
at the stadium and that it had importance to African Americans during
racial segregation.“It was beautiful to see,” she said. “Those who loved baseball would be there.”

Find out what Hamtramck’s doing to save its ballpark here.