Doubleday and the WPA: National Relief for a National Pastime

Cooperstown was not always a baseball town. Before 1920, America’s home field was just a pasture. Today, baseball fans and players of all ages and abilities enjoy America’s pastime from the grandstand constructed through the New Deal of the 1930s.

Doubleday Field as it looked in 1939.
Image from the Collection of the New York State
Historical Association, Cooperstown, N.Y.

Few people realize that the modern field’s rebirth occurred through the efforts of community leaders and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during a period of economic crisis. The 1939 centennial season at Doubleday Field opened with great fanfare as WPA workers completed renovations just in time. This transformation is a legacy that continues to serve the community and visitors to this day.

To Learn More About the Transformation of Doubleday Field click on the links below:

Doubleday Before the WPA
From Sandlot to Icon
The WPA and Project #52808
A Summer of Celebrating Baseball

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