23rd Street Grounds

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23rd Street Grounds, also known as State Street Grounds and 23rd Street Park, and sometimes spelled out as Twenty-third Street Grounds, was a baseball park in Chicago, Illinois. It was home to the Chicago White Stockings from 1874 to 1877, two years in the National Association and two in the National League.

The aptly-named 23rd Street first hosted baseball in 1872-1873, rented out by the Chicago White Stockings as that club nursed its financial position following the Great Fire (for two years it did not field a team). Seven games were even relocated to Chicago by professional teams in other major cities. The Cleveland and Troy clubs played two and four home games here, respectively, in 1872, when they were struggling economically (both went out of business). The Boston Red Stockings played one in 1873 when they were flourishing.

The grounds was on a block bounded by 23rd Street, State Street, 22nd Street (now Cermak Road) and what is now Federal Street. It appears that no illustration survives. Contemporary newspaper descriptions imply that the diamond was in the north end of the block; an imaginary line drawn from home plate through second base would have pointed south. If so, fair territory was probably shaped like a modern five-sided "home plate". (Home base was square-shaped at that time.)