By Gary Wien
originally published: 03/13/2024
(VAUXHALL, NJ) -- The Union Public Library presents "When the Eagles Flew North: A Retrospective on the Newark Eagles' Time at Hinchliffe Stadium" on Monday, March 25 at 6:00pm. Hinchliffe Stadium historian, Brian LoPinto, will take you through Hinchliffe Stadium's history with a focus on the Newark Eagles contributions as a home team at this historic venue. This program takes place at Vauxhall Branch.
"Two Newark Eagles legends tried out for the Eagles at Hinchliffe Stadium," explained LoPinto. "Orange, New Jersey's Monte Irvin and Paterson's Larry Doby. The lecture will share specific game information and interesting side notes that occurred at Newark Eagles home games at Hinchliffe Stadium."
New Jersey Stage reached out to LoPinto to learn a little more about the stadium.
When did you first start researching Hinchliffe Stadium history and what inspired you to do that?
I started researching Hinchliffe Stadium's history in 1997. It was in that year that I read an article stating that the owner, the Paterson Public Schools condemned Hinchliffe Stadium. Sadly, the next word after condemned tends to be 'demolish.' I felt that the stadium needed to be saved, and the only way to save Hinchliffe Stadium was through education. I essentially made it my business to educate myself about Hinchliffe's history, in order for me to educate others as to why it was important to save one of the last remaining Negro Leagues stadiums in the United States. (I should also add, that I grew up two blocks away from Hinchliffe Stadium).
On the stadium's website it is listed as the first national historic landmark that honors baseball. What led to it getting that distinction?
It's a bit of a long story. Back in 2004, Hinchliffe Stadium was being considered for placement on the National Register of Historic Places. Although this is a "National" designation, for some reason, the application had to be submitted to the State of New Jersey's Historic Preservation Office. While Hinchliffe Stadium did receive this designation, the State Office never informed the owners, or Paterson's Historic Preservation Commission that there are three designations on the National Register of Historic Places (National Register - National Significance, National Register - State Significance, National Register - Local Significance). Sadly, The State of New Jersey deemed Hinchliffe Stadium with the lowest designation; local significance regardless of the fact the Negro Leagues had ballclubs nationally, and segregation was a national epidemic.
Keep in mind, when the State informed the School district and Paterson's Historic Preservation Commission about the designation, they never told them about the local significance. The Paterson Public Schools immediately applied for a "Save America's Treasure's" grant. The grant was denied due to the local significance error. This was how we all found out about Hinchliffe's "local" designation.
Congressman Bill Pascrell supported Hinchliffe Stadium and was very helpful in getting the higher designation. Additionally, the State could have simply fixed the error, but instead, they threw money at the problem and then paid for a study (even though one was already done) to have Hinchliffe considered for National Historic Landmark status. The irony, is that although it was a higher designation, "Save America's Treasures" no longer existed when Hinchliffe became a National Historic Landmark. Therefore, the designation of National Register - National Significance would have yielded financial help for Hinchliffe Stadium (Told you it was a long story).
Note: The second National Historic Landmark that honors baseball is Wrigley Field. Pretty good company.
Finally, One of the teams that played at Hinchliffe Stadium was called The New York Black Yankees. What can you tell me about that team?
The New York Black Yankees were the first Negro Leagues team to call Hinchliffe Stadium home. In fact, 2024 marks the 90th anniversary of the Black Yankees first full season calling Hinchliffe Stadium home. (The Black Yankees did play home games in September of 1933 during the Colored Championship of the Nation).
The Black Yankees, essentially, were the litmus test to see if Black baseball could work in Paterson, and it did. In succeeding years, the New York Cubans, Newark Eagles, and the Brooklyn Royal Giants would call Hinchliffe Stadium home.
The Vauxhall Branch of the Union Public Library is located at 123 Hilton Avenue in Vauxhall, New Jersey. You can RSVP for the talk here.
For more on Hinchliff Stadium, click here.
Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of
Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and
Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station
The Penguin Rocks. His personal website is at
lightyscorner.com. He can be contacted at
[email protected].
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