In the Spring and Summer of 2023, I began researching baseball played at North Kingstown’s Quonset Point Naval Air Station. Quonset Point or the Quonset Development Corporation, now a thriving business community, was once a commissioned naval air station and occupied a massive acreage in my hometown of North Kingstown. It had airfields and barracks and commissaries and residences and offices, and baseball fields. Those busy buildings, along with the military, were all decommissioned in 1974, and one by one, the once thriving military installation turned to abandoned structures. Baseball left Quonset Point too, although its departure at Quonset seemed to be sooner than the decommissioning, according to my research. The baseball field that once featured the Quonset Flyers against local college baseball teams, visiting military baseball teams from Rhode Island and the East Coast, even professional teams, became a golf course sometime in the 1960s. The golf course is still there, the baseball field is just a memory and in photos like this:
I decided, since I am now living in Virginia Beach, to expand my research of 1940s, 1950s military baseball to the local military installations whom Quonset faced back in those days. Two such military bases have been popping up in my searches more often than not – Little Creek and Norfolk Naval Air Station. I’m sure there were others over the years, including installations in Newport News, Chesapeake, and more in Virginia Beach like NAS Oceana. You can see in this Quonset Flyers Baseball schedule, courtesy of the Quonset Scout, in 1948 that they played a home and away series against Little Creek and NAS Norfolk:
So, I got to thinking – ‘okay, where did they play and is the field still around for me to check out?’ I started to pose that question in local media sites and came up with some really interesting responses. Like these, (referring to Oceana Stadium) “Well, in the 1970s, we had baseball fields on base where the old commissary was located across the street. However, not sure when they were put in place. Also, right outside the main gate was a baseball field.” And, “I know that there was one where the Navy Exchange is now. My brother played there in the middle 1970’s.“ And “CNNATU Norfolk take part in Navy baseball history. McClure Baseball Station is located at 440 Pocahontas St, Norfolk, VA 23462. The field is the second oldest brick baseball station in the nation, second only to to Bodse Field built in June 1915. In Evansville, Indiana. McClure Field was completed in 1918. It was referred to as the Atlantic Field, but did not take on a name until 1944 when it was renamed after Captain Henry McClure. Another great source of information for you is: : “Ocean View Little League visits McClure Field. As far as I can see the NAS baseball players played at McClure Field in the 50’s.” Great stuff here, really appreciate all the responses I got. Keep them coming!
Based on a few newspaper clippings from that era sent to me, it seems the field that Oceana played on was simply called “NAS Oceana Stadium.” Here is what I was able to find in terms of historical aerial maps of that era. First, Oceana field just outside the airfield.
And here is a view of what it looks like today. I even stopped by there yesterday for a peek.
Still working on getting more information on the Little Creek baseball field and here is what I came up with so far in terms of historical aerial maps:
Based on Google Maps, the space where the baseball field was in 1958 is now occupied by the Child Development Center building. On the map below, the baseball field was in the area of the building that looks like an incomplete “4.” Here is a more recent view of that area:
In the Quonset Scout newspaper, there are scores and highlights and baseball game photos of these contests between the Quonset Flyers and Virginia Beach, Norfolk area teams. As I continue to research the fields, the players, the games, I will post my finding here and on my social media sites. The goal – to honor these military men and their families and pay them my respect for serving our country, not to mention playing the game of baseball while juggling family, service commitment, and the thoughts of having to go to war.
If you have any insight, any stories to tell about this subject, have any photos or memorabilia you would like to share, please contact me. I want to hear from you!!!
The Rhiter 
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