RSS 2.0 FeedJuly 15, 2010, Freeport-Baldwin Leader
Making baseball history in Freeport
Freeport Municipal Stadium hosted many sporting events, including baseball games.
THE LIGHTS CLUB BASEBALL TEAM photo courtesy of Freeport Historical Society
Walter “Jumbo” Brown was born in Rhode Island on April 30, 1907, and began his major league career in 1925 as a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. He played for the Yankees for four seasons, including the World Series winning teams of 1932 and 1936. He ended his career with the New York Giants in 1941.
He lived in Freeport and ran a sporting goods store at 15 West Sunrise Highway. He died on October 20, 1966.
Lou Gehrig married Eleanor Grace Twitchell on September 29, 1933, at his home at 5 Circuit Road, New Rochelle. Witnesses included Frederick M. Linder of Mount Vernon and Blanche C. Austin of Freeport, the bride's aunt. The day after the wedding, Gene and Blanche Austin hosted a reception for the couple in their Freeport home. Research continues to locate the exact address of the Austins’ house. Photographs of the reception in Freeport can be viewed at www.corbisimages.com
Branch Rickey Jr., known as “Twig,” was the son of Branch Rickey, the baseball executive who broke the color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson. Branch Rickey Jr. worked as the vice-president of the Pittsburgh Pirates and director of the team’s farm system. He lived in Freeport and was active in the Freeport Methodist Church.
Babe Ruth visited Freeport in 1920. He attended the L.I.G.H.T.S Club Circus and had dinner at the Lexington Avenue home of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Bulger.
Bob Sheppard, the “Voice of Yankee Stadium,” was discovered while serving as PA announcer for a football game at Freeport’s Municipal Stadium.
Al Von Tilzer, composer of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” lived on Southside Avenue in Freeport.
Jean Yawkey, owner of the Boston Red Sox, lived at 16 Rosedale Avenue, Freeport, in the 1920s and ’30s. She married Thomas Yawkey in 1944 and became an avid Red Sox fan. Mrs. Yawkey meticulously kept score in a custom-bound set of cards.
In 1984, she became director of the National Baseball Museum and Hall of Fame – the first woman elected to the Hall of Fame’s board. She was also a major benefactor to the museum, donating two wings and commissioning a basswood statue of Ted Williams. In 1992, Jean Yawkey died at the age of 83 after suffering a severe stroke.
Roy Campanella played baseball at the Freeport Municipal Stadium in 1937 with the Washington Elite Giants.
- Regina Feeney
