1912 baseball game to be reenacted in Little Rock

This image was taken at Whittington Park on March 23, 1907, during spring training for pitchers in Hot Springs, Ark. Included in the image is Hall Fame member Cy Young, second from right in dark sweater who was playing for the Boston Americans. The Americans were later named the Red Sox. (Photo provided by the Garland County Historical Society)
This image was taken at Whittington Park on March 23, 1907, during spring training for pitchers in Hot Springs, Ark. Included in the image is Hall Fame member Cy Young, second from right in dark sweater who was playing for the Boston Americans. The Americans were later named the Red Sox. (Photo provided by the Garland County Historical Society)

A 1912 baseball game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox will be reenacted and filmed later this month in Little Rock.

The reenactment will begin at noon March 21 at Lamar Porter Field, at 3200 W. Seventh St. University of Arkansas professor Larry Foley, a documentary filmmaker, is coordinating the event as part of production for his film The First Boys of Spring, which will premiere in October.

“It’s the story of the birth of baseball spring training in Hot Springs,” Foley said in a release. “Nearly half of the ballplayers enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, trained in Hot Springs. These scenes we’re filming at Lamar Porter Field are critical to the telling of this unique and important story.”

Lamar Porter Field is believed to be the oldest baseball stadium still standing in Arkansas. Built in the 1930s, its architecture is similar to the style of stadiums in Hot Springs during the time spring training was held there.

Foley is requesting men, women and children attend the reenactment and act as fans. Those interested in sitting in the stands are asked to provide their own 1912 period clothing.

Foley said women of the time wore one-piece dresses, skirts and blouses. Skirts were narrow and straight, and blouses were front-buttoned with tight-fitting sleeves. Large hats with brims decorated with flowers or ribbon were popular.

Men wore suits, single- or double-breasted. Matching vests were common and shirts were visible only at the collar. Sweaters, including cardigans, V-neck pullovers and turtlenecks, were worn by working class men. Men wore soft felt hats, driving caps and derbies.

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