Bringhurst Field, Alexandria, LA | The City's Failure to Preserve a Historical Landmark and the Babe Ruth Legend | Abandoned Louisiana

 Photos and Story By Ken Hulsey

This weekend, our granddaughter wanted to visit the newly built playground at the corner of Masonic Drive and Babe Ruth Drive. While my wife and the little one went to play, I decided to take a stroll around the old Bringhurst Field - once the home of the minor league Alexandria Aces baseball team. The once-beautiful ballpark is now just a shell, with most of the brick gone and only the metal skeleton of the old bleachers remaining.

As much as I wanted to take a last look at the site before it disappeared forever, what I really longed to do was walk in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth. I knew the Babe had played a game here, so I stood at what I imagined was the approximate location of home plate and pictured him stepping up to the plate, ready to crush a towering home run.

Sadly, my nostalgic reverie was misguided - there is no historical evidence that Babe Ruth ever actually played a game at Bringhurst Field.

The claim that Babe Ruth played a baseball game in Alexandria is unfounded. There is no historical evidence to support this. Several factors make it highly unlikely this event occurred. First, Bringhurst Field, where the game would have taken place, was not built until 1933 - 12 years after the New York Yankees, including Babe Ruth, toured Louisiana in 1921. Additionally, there was no organized baseball team in Alexandria in 1921 when the Yankees were in the state. The last local team, the Alexandria Tigers, had folded in 1920. The city would not have another team, the Alexandria Reds, until 1924. Given the lack of a suitable venue and a local team, it is doubtful the Yankees played an exhibition game in Alexandria, despite any alleged claims. Records show the Yankees played games in other Louisiana cities during their 1921 tour, but there is no documentation of a match in Alexandria.

The Alexandria Aces called Bringhurst Field home from 1933 to 2013, with many famous baseball players and managers gracing its grounds over the decades. The stadium saw great success, hosting numerous championships. However, when it began to show its age, the city of Alexandria opted to shut down the park rather than make the necessary repairs to preserve this historic venue. This baffling decision resulted in the stadium being abandoned, despite its rich baseball legacy that should have earned it the status of a central Louisiana treasure. Now, after 11 years of neglect, Bringhurst Field is being demolished piece by piece, erasing all evidence of the storied baseball history that once unfolded there. Future generations will have no way to experience or learn about this important part of Alexandria's past.

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