What do baseball, the WPA, and cherries have in common?
Each is a different facet of the historical significance of the North Ogden Baseball Field and Grandstand, located at the northwest corner of North Ogden Park.
Recently, the National Park Services added this historic baseball field and grandstand to the National Register of Historic Places (the NRHP). We were honored to prepare the nomination on behalf of North Ogden City, and in the process learned a lot about what makes this site and landscape so unique.
Baseball in North Ogden
The baseball field and grandstand are locally significant under Criterion A which is “Entertainment/Recreation,” due to their association with the development of baseball in Northern Utah.
The field has been used for baseball since at least 1901–over 120 years! When it was built, the baseball field was one of the most modern and functional baseball parks in Northern Utah, offering both a regulation-sized baseball diamond and a large grandstand for spectators.
Newspaper clipping of Little League teams practicing for the Ward Outing in 1961.
Date: 1961
Photo Source: Josh Machovsky, “North Ogden Baseball Stadium.” N.d.
Baseball was one of the first team activities adopted by pioneers in Utah, and the state helped to foster athletic programs throughout the west, making it, from the beginning, a significant sport for Utah residents. Statewide championships were held in Utah as early as 1866, just 27 years after baseball originated in Cooperstown, NY. Weber County had several baseball teams as early as 1868, and the sport captured the attention of many in Weber County, with crowds who would travel to Ogden to catch the play-by-play of the World Series games displayed on a large field replica (before the days of radio and television).
Later on, the Weber County Farm Bureau league was a key feature of the baseball scene in North Utah from the 1920’s-40’s, giving way to recreational leagues after World War II, which persist today.
A youthful Norman Shaw throws a baseball on a badminton court in North Ogden Park. His back is to the grandstand and baseball field, and a historic pavilion (no longer standing) is shown in the background, between Shaw and the grandstand.
Date: Taken approximately in the 1940’s (Exact Date unknown).
Photo Source: “Norman Shaw at North Ogden Grandstands,” photo on FamilySearch, accessed February 2, 2026, https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/memories/KWCK-48B
The WPA
The Grandstand is also locally significant for its Architecture (Criterion C) as Weber County’s only remaining grandstand from its era, exemplifying the handiwork of WPA workers in the mid-1930s. The simple materials of wood with concrete footings and man-powered construction methods reflect the constraints faced by the WPA. While trained on the job, WPA workers were men who needed employment as a result of the Great Depression, not necessarily craftsmen by trade (with the exception of certain supervisors with technical training). The grandstand stands as an enduring example of what these workers were capable of during a particularly challenging chapter of American history.
Antionette Ball Wyatt throws a ball at the North Ogden Baseball Field in about 1952.
Date: Approximately 1952
Photo Source: Josh Machovsky, “North Ogden Baseball Stadium.” N.d.
Cherries
The ballfield and grandstand are also significant for social history (Criterion A), given their longstanding connection to North Ogden’s Cherry Days festival. First established in 1932, the North Ogden Cherry Days celebrate the abundance of the local cherry harvest, bringing the community together consistently, in both the most plentiful and in limited cherry harvests. Traditionally, the celebration has included a parade, which terminates at the ballfield and grandstand where concessions, booths, contests and baseball games are held. Cherry Days continues to be an important event in North Ogden, drawing hundreds of visitors each year to the North Ogden Grandstand and ballfield.
Fans watch the Cherry Days game in 2016
Date: 2016
Photo Source: Josh Machovsky, “North Ogden Baseball Stadium.” N.d.
Moving Forward
The North Ogden Baseball Field and Grandstand retain a high degree of historic integrity, reflecting their significance as a community recreation site and WPA-era public works project. In the NRHP nomination (linked here), you can read more in depth about the different aspects of historic integrity which this site retains.
This is the second WPA-era ballfield and grandstand in Utah to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with Richmond’s being the first (linked here). It is an honor and accomplishment for the City of North Ogden to receive national recognition for this site.
As discussed in our blog about the NRHP, telling these historic places’ stories and getting them listed on the National Register of Historic Places can open the door to additional funding and recognition. Beyond generating local care and pride in the site, this process can:
- Formally recognize a place’s historical or cultural significance
- Create eligibility for certain federal preservation incentives, including historic tax credits (typically for income-producing residential or commercial properties)
- Strengthen grant competitiveness for preservation and planning funding
- Raise public awareness and pride in local history
- Provide a shared reference point for planning, design, and stewardship
Even when financial incentives do not apply, such as for publicly owned or nonprofit properties (such as this one), listing can still be valuable as a tool for education, advocacy, and long-term visioning. We look forward to seeing how the City of North Ogden is able to leverage this recognition as the site’s story continues to be written.
View of the North Ogden ballfield, grandstand, dugouts, and announcers booth, facing southeast.
