|
Picture of the day -
July 21, 2006
Damascus, Virginia's Backer Park
Click photo to enlarge
If you ever have the opportunity to visit the beautiful town of
Damascus, Virginia, take a short drive,
hike or bike ride down Shady Avenue and you'll find a very special ball park
sitting right beside the historic
Rock
School building. Backer Park is a legendary place where
several generations of boys and young men compiled some of their
most precious memories while playing the American pastime - the wonderful game of
baseball.
In 1920, the citizens of Damascus began searching for a way to
procure a new school building in which to educate the town's growing
population of children. After raising a total of $60,000 from
various sources to cover the costs of construction, all the
townspeople needed was the property on which to erect the structure.
At that time, a gentleman by the name of C.G. Backer was serving as
the secretary and treasurer for the Smithport Extract Company.
Recognizing the need for the new school, he donated enough land to
the town to build the school as well as an athletic field. The new
ball field was named "Backer Park" in his honor.
Many baseball teams have called Backer Park home over the years,
including the Damascus Beavers, the Damascus Indians,
the Holston High School Cavaliers and countless school
children who played in various organized leagues and/or "pick-up"
games. I myself played "Senior League" baseball at Backer Park for
three years.
Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Backer, the youngsters of Damascus
have had a great place to play ball for over eight decades. The park
is still in use today, and given its rich history and the huge
number of memories that were made there, it will be a shame if it
ever closes.
Picture Of The Day Homepage |
Submit
a photo
More Interesting Articles
|
|
|