The Monroe Monarchs were a professional baseball team based in Monroe, Louisiana, which played in the Negro leagues from the late 1920s to about 1935, mostly as a minor league team loosely associated with the Kansas City Monarchs.[1] The team was created by Fred Stovall, a Texan oil drilling millionaire, who later financed the Negro Southern League. In the 1930s, a time of acute segregation in most of the U.S., the team's games were watched by crowds of black and white people alike. Hall of Famer Hilton Smith played for the team.
| Monroe Monarchs | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| League |
|
| Location | Monroe, Louisiana |
| Ballpark |
|
| Disbanded | 1932 |
History
editWhen the team first formed it played in the semi-pro Dixie League until Stovall formed the Negro Southern League, with four other teams in 1932. The NSL is considered a major league that year, since it was the only organized league to complete the 1932 season. The Monarchs finished with a 26–22 record in their only season they were considered a major league team, and did not qualify for any post-season play-off.[2]
The team played in Casino Park in Monroe, at what became 29th and Hope. It was 360 feet (110 metres) in left, 450 feet (140 metres) in center and 330 feet (100 metres) in right.[3] Built on Stovall's plantation, the park and its associated recreational facilities (including a swimming pool and a dance pavilion[4]) were considered some of the finest in the league.[5]
Stovall accommodated the players in houses on his plantation, provided a cook to prepare their meals, and bought three brand-new Ford cars in 1932 for the team's travel.[6]
The team disbanded soon after 1935[7] and in 1937 Casino Park was leased to a local white team—the Monroe Twins who became the Monroe White Sox in 1938—who played in the Cotton States League.[8]
Historical marker
editIn the summer of 2010, the Monroe Monarchs Field was opened to the public in Monroe, Louisiana. At the opening, the Monroe Monarchs Historical Foundation unveiled a historical marker dedicated to the former Negro league team.[citation needed]
Notable alumni
edit| Monroe Monarchs Hall of Famers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Inductee | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
| Willard "Home Run" Brown | OF | 1934–1935 | 2006 |
| Hilton Smith | P | 1932–1935 | 2001 |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Holway, John (2001). The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History. Fern Park, Florida: Hastings House Publishers. p. 284. ISBN 0-8038-2007-0.
- ^ Holway, John (2001). The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History. Fern Park, Florida: Hastings House Publishers. p. 292. ISBN 0-8038-2007-0.
- ^ Lowry 2006, pp. 135–136
- ^ Peterson 1970, p. 122
- ^ NLBPA
- ^ Black Ball News (1993)
- ^ Deduction from lack of references after 1935
- ^ Peterson 1970, p. 122
References
edit- 'Interview with Marlin Carter', Black Ball News (1993) cited at 'Team History', Monroe Monarchs Historical Foundation (2005). Retrieved July 24, 2005.
- "Monroe: Casino Park". Negro League Baseball Players Association. Retrieved December 20, 2023. Information credited to Paul Letlow.
- Loverro, Thom; Fields, Wilmer. Encyclopedia of Negro League Baseball
- Lowry, Philip J. (2006). Green Cathedrals: The Ultimate Celebration of Major League and Negro League Ballparks. Walker Publishing. ISBN 9780802715623.
- Peterson, Robert W. (1970). Only The Ball Was White: A History of Legendary Black Players and All-Black Professional Teams. New York: Prentice-Hall. ISBN 9780195076370.
- Robinson, Frazier (1999). Catching Dream: My Life in the Negro Baseball Leagues. Foreword by John O'Neil. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 0815605633.