NHS FOOTBALL FIELDS
Over the years the Clipper has called several locations in town 'home field'. Research continues towards finding exact locations of these fields (what is there today) but we are able to give very close descriptions of where the gridiron of yesteryear was.
1892: YMCA Athletic Park (corner of State and Parker streets today)
1897: North End Grounds. Moseley Avenue and Fair Grounds, Storey Avenue
1904: South End Grounds, Plum Island Turnpike (Field is part of the Plum Island Airport grounds, near the old Sportsmans Lodge - The Audubon Society today)
1909: Fair Grounds, Storey Avenue
1912 - 1936: Newburyport Athletic Club Grounds, South End Stadium (In the area of High Street, Marlboro and S.Pond Streets)
1937-1938: World War Memorial Stadium under construction. All games were played away except the Amesbury Game which was played at Central Park (Now Cashman Park - but on the old field, where the soccer fields are today)
1939 - 2014: World War Memorial Stadium
2015: Field under construction and all games played away except Amesbury (opener of new field at World War Memorial)
2015- Present: James T. Stehlin Field at World War Memorial Stadium
1892: YMCA Athletic Park (corner of State and Parker streets today)
1897: North End Grounds. Moseley Avenue and Fair Grounds, Storey Avenue
1904: South End Grounds, Plum Island Turnpike (Field is part of the Plum Island Airport grounds, near the old Sportsmans Lodge - The Audubon Society today)
1909: Fair Grounds, Storey Avenue
1912 - 1936: Newburyport Athletic Club Grounds, South End Stadium (In the area of High Street, Marlboro and S.Pond Streets)
1937-1938: World War Memorial Stadium under construction. All games were played away except the Amesbury Game which was played at Central Park (Now Cashman Park - but on the old field, where the soccer fields are today)
1939 - 2014: World War Memorial Stadium
2015: Field under construction and all games played away except Amesbury (opener of new field at World War Memorial)
2015- Present: James T. Stehlin Field at World War Memorial Stadium
World War Memorial Stadium
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The History
Built: 1938-1939 Visitors Closed: 1999 Demolition Begins: 2015 Re-dedication: 2015 |
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The City of Newburyport’s World War Memorial Stadium was constructed in 1938-1939, just as World War Two was beginning in Europe. The stadium was built on farmland known as Mt. Rural behind the newly built High School building. It was constructed by the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) which mobilized millions of unemployed people around the country during the Great Depression to build public infrastructure. The WPA also expanded the stone wall that surrounds the High School and reconstructed local roads, bridges and sidewalks.
Portions of the concrete World War Memorial Stadium were apparently made with beach sand from Plum Island. While a cheap and readily available source of sand, the sea salt in the beach sand lead to significant deterioration of the concrete in the decades that followed.
The stadium has hosted hundreds of football games over the years, in addition to other sports, concerts and events, the stadium is also used annually for High School graduation ceremonies.
In 1942, shortly after the united States formally entered World War Two, Newburyport dedicated the new stadium to the veterans of the first World War and 6,500 fans witnessed the season opening win over then rival Salem.
Portions of the concrete World War Memorial Stadium were apparently made with beach sand from Plum Island. While a cheap and readily available source of sand, the sea salt in the beach sand lead to significant deterioration of the concrete in the decades that followed.
The stadium has hosted hundreds of football games over the years, in addition to other sports, concerts and events, the stadium is also used annually for High School graduation ceremonies.
In 1942, shortly after the united States formally entered World War Two, Newburyport dedicated the new stadium to the veterans of the first World War and 6,500 fans witnessed the season opening win over then rival Salem.
Closing of the visitor stands
The condition of the stadium really made an impact in the late 1990's when the visitor side of the stands were condemned due to a lack of structural integrity. The final night game with two functional sides was played in the fall of 1999 against the Grey Ghosts of Westford Academy, with the Clippers getting the win 43-0. The Thanksgiving game that year was played with warmer weather under rainy conditions with the typical large crowd on hand. The Clippers won the meeting of the annual classic 34-0. It was then that the visitor stands were removed from use, never to be reopened to fans and eventually destroyed in the summer of 2015.
The condition of the stadium really made an impact in the late 1990's when the visitor side of the stands were condemned due to a lack of structural integrity. The final night game with two functional sides was played in the fall of 1999 against the Grey Ghosts of Westford Academy, with the Clippers getting the win 43-0. The Thanksgiving game that year was played with warmer weather under rainy conditions with the typical large crowd on hand. The Clippers won the meeting of the annual classic 34-0. It was then that the visitor stands were removed from use, never to be reopened to fans and eventually destroyed in the summer of 2015.
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World War Memorial Stadium and Stehlin Field Progress 2015
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James T. Stehlin Field
at World War Memorial Stadium
The Stehlin Series
Newburyport Daily News Editor’s note: On Thanksgiving Eve, Newburyport will officially name the high school football field in honor of Jim Stehlin, who served as head coach from 1964-1983, and as athletic director until 1993. Coach Stehlin’s influence on his players transcended the football field and served as life lessons for many. Leading up to the dedication ceremony, The Daily News is presenting a series of columns written by his former players, sharing their personal stories of the coach.
(Click Here for the full series of articles)
The Pride Lives on: Article written near stadium completion by RESTORE founder MaryAnn Clancy (Click Here.)
Newburyport Daily News Editor’s note: On Thanksgiving Eve, Newburyport will officially name the high school football field in honor of Jim Stehlin, who served as head coach from 1964-1983, and as athletic director until 1993. Coach Stehlin’s influence on his players transcended the football field and served as life lessons for many. Leading up to the dedication ceremony, The Daily News is presenting a series of columns written by his former players, sharing their personal stories of the coach.
(Click Here for the full series of articles)
The Pride Lives on: Article written near stadium completion by RESTORE founder MaryAnn Clancy (Click Here.)
