Atlanta Black Crackers Practice Field

The practice field looking toward home plate from left field jessemiers (Atlas Obscura User)

Few traces remain of the rich history of Negro League baseball in Atlanta. One neighborhood in Bush Mountain has set out to correct that by restoring and celebrating the historic practice field used by the Atlanta Black Crackers during segregation in the early and mid-1900s.

The Black Crackers were Atlanta’s most significant Black baseball team competing in the Negro Leagues, the only place where African Americans could play professional baseball during segregation. The team took their name from the white minor league team called the Atlanta Crackers who played in the first half of the 1900s. This field was also used by local Bush Mountain neighborhood teams, so-called “sandlot” teams, who played against the Black Crackers here.

This historic field has recently been restored by the local community, the City of Atlanta, and other local businesses to recognize and celebrate this important and often unseen history.

Know Before You Go

The official City of Atlanta Parks sign can be found at 1401 Bridges Ave outside the Hartnett Community Garden, on the side facing away from the street. Access to the field can be found one driveway down between 1405 and 1409 Bridges Ave.