Sulphur Dell

Also Known As: Sulphur Springs Bottom 1902-1906; Nashville Athletic Park 1885-1901
Location: Nashville, TN
900 Fifth Avenue N. at Jackson Street (LF) & the Tennessee Central RR tracks (1B).
Capacity: 7,000 (1926); 8,500 (1939); 10,000 (1941); 7,000 (1961)
Dimensions (Left, Center, Right): 334-421-262 (1939); 364-421-262 (1940); 335-422-262 (1963)
The location for the earlier Athletic Park were Jackson (1B), N. Cherry (3B) & N. Summer (RF) Streets. Summer became 5th Avenue N. & Cherry, 4th Avenue N. The catcher faced south. French Lick Sulphur Springs were a block south; the Excelsior Ice and Cold Storage Company was across North Cherry Street. Sulphur Dell, officially known as the Nashville Athletic Club Grounds, was named by Grantland Rice in 1907. He pointed out that it was easier to make rhymes with "dell" than its previous name, Sulphur Spring Bottom. Baseball had been played there since the 1860s. The park was frequently flooded by the Cumberland River, just a quarter mile away. It was also known as "The Dump" because of its proximity to the city dump. Until 1926, the wooden grandstand was in the NE corner, making a short RF fence. An open press box sat atop the grandstand. In 1926, a new grandstand was built in the SW corner of the block. Lights were added in 1938. RF was even shorter after the grandstand was moved. The fence was 262 feet away, and a steep hill started at 225 feet, leading up to a terrace. Outfielders would station themselves on this elevated terrace in RF just 235 feet from home. For overflow crowds, a rope was stretched in front of the shelf, just 235 feet from home, a real left hand hitter's paradise. Pitchers termed the ballpark, "Suffer Hell". The wooden outfield fence was 16-feet high. A 30-foot screen was added in 1931, from the RF foul line to right center, to lessen the effects of the short porch in right. The foul areas were tiny; 3B was 26 feet away from the grandstand, and 1B, 42 feet. The catcher faced NE.
Used by: Nashville Americans, Nashville Blues, Nashville Tigers, Nashville Seraphs, Nashville Vols

Following are the minor league baseball teams known to have played at Sulphur Dell:

Attendance listed indicates the total home attendance for the team even if it played in multiple home ballparks or additional cities in the same year.

Average attendance is based on half the team's total games being played at home.