Barnett Field

Baseball in Fargo has been played in a variety of venues. The first, in 1902, was a vacant field where St. Luke's Hospital (Meritcare) now stands. Fargo College had a baseball field in Island Park, and the Fargo Baseball Stadium opened in 1996.

The longest-lived baseball field (to date) was Barnett Field. Named after Fargo attorney Judge William H. Barnett, the baseball field and grandstand were built by the Works Progress Administration, which supplied the labor and local businesses provided funds for materials. (The WPA also built the Island Park swimming pool.) The first games were played on the field in 1936 but the official dedication was held on July 29, 1937. The field was the home of the Fargo-Moorhead Twins, which had played on a field in Moorhead since they were established in 1933.

Barnett Field stood at the northwest corner of the old Fairgrounds (19th Avenue and Broadway). The Twins called the filed home until they were disbanded after the 1960 season. The final game was played on September 3, 1960. Barnett Field stood abandoned until 1963 when it was demolished and the site was used to build the North High School.

An early picture of Barnett Field is shown above right. Note how empty is the area beyond the left field fence (the area of Broadway and 19th Avenue looking northeast). The Fargo YMCA sponsored the "Knothole Gang" for kids. It was a special section of the grandstand along the third base line. Often the kids didn't pay much attention to the game. Speaking personally, I got hit on the head by a foul ball one night! They wouldn't even give me the ball!

The souvenir program is from 1955.