Recreation Field
Montpelier, VT
Review by Gary
Montpelier Recreation Field, aka Rec Field, was constructed in 1940 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Our favorite type of ballparks are WPA projects like this. Rec Field has a 1,200-seat capacity under its glorious, covered grandstand behind home plate. This vintage structure’s roof covers every wooded bench seat and features a unique curved design that sweeps around the back stop and straightens out as it reaches each dugout. Other than the pillars that hold up the majestic steel-frame room, there is a not a bad view from the stands.
With no apparent explanation, there are four modern individual seats at the top of the stands near the entrance to the press box. One can only assume that these are reserved for fans lucky enough to win a free seat upgrade during games. Other seating is available for fans bringing their own chairs and lining the fence down each baseline or imbibing in the “Beer Garden” just past the four-foot chain link fence in left field. This enclosed area is made up of half a dozen or so wooden picnic benches.
When it first opened in 1941, two Northern League teams played here, the Montpelier Senators and the Twin City Trojans. Ten players from these teams went on to play major league baseball, but only one, Robin Roberts, was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Roberts was the biggest star in the Northern League and played for the Twin City Trojans in 1946 and 1947.
The Northern League folded in 1952 and Rec Field endured a half-century without a professional tenant. This drought ended in 2003 when the newly formed Vermont Mountaineers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League took up residency. Robin Roberts returned to Rec Field on Opening Day, July 21, 2003, to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. More than 2000 fans watched him deliver his first pitch in Vermont since 1947. The Mountaineers still call Rec Field “home.”
Rec Field has a deep center field at 429 feet, then the fence winds its way closer to the plate to more reachable marks of 307’ to the left field pole and 311’ to the right field corner. On the side of the grandstand is a very tasteful tribute to former players who played at Rec Field, including two retired numbers, Roberts #34, and Ray Fisher’s #44. Fisher was a local Vermonter who played for 10 years in the majors and was a member of the 1919 World Champion NY Yankees. Concession and souvenir stands are in separate buildings behind the grandstand.
With the trees beyond the outfield fence climbing into the White Mountains, Montpelier Recreation Field should be on any ballpark aficionado’s bucket list along with nearby Centennial Field. Get your tickets to either ballpark in advance as personal research shows that games at either venue sell out quickly.
2023
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