Happy Birthday, Fenway Park!

Today hordes of people -- Red Sox fans and baseball stadium aficionados alike -- will descend on Fenway Park to celebrate the 100th anniversary of that venerable stadium's opening in 1912.

We at the MHS are lucky. Being just a short walk from the ball park allows us to watch as a sea of red and blue outfitted fans make their way down Boylston Street toward the park for each home game. This morning, I was struck by the fact that the MHS has stood at 1154 Boylston since 1898, more than a decade before the park opened.  It made me wonder if Charles Francis Adams, MHS president from 1895 to 1915, and other MHS members stood before one of the large first floor windows and watched folks make their way to Fenway Park 100 years ago today. If they did, I would imagine they did not worry so much if the end of the day game coincided with quitting time at the MHS -- as the current staff, anticipating traffic woes, now does.

The two images here are postcards held in our collection. The cards, sent to members of the Pond family in Connecticut, were posted in January and March 1914. Although there is no evidence on the cards how much before that date they were printed, it is safe to assume they offer a fun glimpse of Fenway close to the time of its opening. 

One final thought on Fenway's special day. Although the season is off to a bit of a rocky start, let's hope the Sox bring home another one of these!  Click here to learn more about the 1912 World Series medal held by the MHS.