Tag Archives: Rickwood: Then & Now

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Thank you Friends of Rickwood (Photo Gallery)

Much appreciation to the speaker at our 83rd Annual Meeting, Gerald Watkins, Director of Friends of Rickwood, along with all the other Rickwood Friends who were in attendance. Critical to the preservation of the nation’s OLDEST BALL PARK, these baseball enthusiasts are holding the HABS (Historic American Buildings Survey) poster that certified Rickwood’s age and importance.

Friend of Rickwood left to right: Mike Newton, Coke Mathews, Sam Fisher, Ben Cook, Lamar Smith, and Gerald Watkins. Not pictured but in attendance, Tom Cosby

But before that 1993 certification, Tom Cosby, Terry Slaughter, and Coke Mathews recognized the importance of the ballpark, and led fundraising efforts which ultimately led to Birmingham Historical Society’s involvement in the HABS documentation. It’s a preservation success story that put Birmingham on the map, bringing its first Major League Baseball game to Rickwood in 2024. (View all the drawings and documentation at the Library of Congress HERE at HABS AL-897)

Gerald Watkins shared not only his enthusiasm for the sport, and the struggles in maintaining the park, but also the ongoing support that will be necessary to sustain it. Want to help? Attend an event! Or contribute to its support HERE

photos by Louise McPhillips

Friends of Rickwood
HABS AL-897 poster
Books available about Rickwood Field
Carolanne Roberts, with winners of Chocolate Cake contest
Gerald Watkins, Director of Friends of Rickwood
Tom Cosby, early supporter of fundraising to preserve Rickwoood field
Wayne Hester, President Birmingham Historical Society
Marjorie White, Director Birmingham Historical Society
Trustees Carol Slaughter and Kaydee Erdreich

Read more about Rickwood’s history in our BHS newsletter HERE (downloadable pdf document) and in our archives HERE

Annual Gathering, Annual meeting, Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Birmingham Civil Rights, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Birmingham pioneers, BOOK, Book Sale, Book Signing, Cake & Pie Contest, Cake Contest, Meetings, Membership, Parks & Recreation, Publications, Rickwood Field

The 83rd Annual Meeting Featuring America’s Oldest Ball Field – Rickwood

ALL ARE WELCOME at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the Birmingham Historical Society at 7PM on Monday, February 24th at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

The meeting will feature guest speaker, Gerald Watkins, Director of the Friends of Rickwood, and a lifetime baseball enthusiast! His talk, Rickwood: Then & Now, will tell the story of America’s oldest grandstand and ballpark. The Friends’ fundraising campaign, spearheaded by Terry Slaughter, Tom Cosby, and Coke Mathews, enabled the park to be restored, expanded, and subsequently brought Alabama’s first Major League Baseball game to Birmingham. Books about Rickwood will be available for sale, and chocolate cake entries from the annual cake contest will be judged and available after the meeting for sampling!

Baseball fans, society supporters and members, and Alabama historians, don’t miss this meeting!