David Story Field
Longview, WA
Review by Mike
Tucked away on one corner of the campus of Lower Columbia College in Longview, Washington, is David Story Field, a little gem of a wooden ballpark that has been serving this community since I-don’t-know-when. I mean that literally; I can’t find any reference anywhere as to when this ballpark was built, so if anyone out there knows the answer to this question, please drop us a line.
The ballpark is home to the college baseball team as well as the Cowlitz Black Bears of the summer collegiate West Coast League. The coach of the college baseball team was nice enough to keep the gate open after practice for a few minutes so I could have a look around. This is a nice little stadium, seemingly built entirely of wood. I can’t say if there are steel supports under there somewhere, so don’t take my word on that.
A small grandstand wraps around from 1st base to 3rd base, with a press box squatting low behind home plate. Everything is painted a deep forest green, which blends in with the leafy background creating the effect that the stand seems to be nestled right into the woodland setting. A small bleacher section extends down the left field line with placards to indicate all of the Northwest Athletic Conference championship seasons posted by Lower Columbia College.
In addition to charming, intimate surroundings, there is some history here as well. The bench seating in the main grandstand was moved here from Sick’s Stadium in Seattle, the original home of the ill-fated Seattle Pilots, who played one season in the American League before moving to Milwaukee to become the Brewers.
A party deck out in the left field corner was added in 2010 along with other stadium improvements in preparation for the arrival of the Black Bears. The original grass field has been replaced with FieldTurf and the scoreboard looks pretty new. This is a delightful little ballpark in a nice-looking town and I hope someday to stop by for a game.
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2024
267
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