Nashville baseball dates back to 1885

Baseball was introduced to Nashville with the occupation of the Union army during the Civil War. The Federals taught their Southern adversaries the rules of the games, and after the war, amateur teams were formed in the city.

The ballgames were played just north of the state capital in an area named Sulphur Springs Bottom. For years, Nashvillians used this area as a watering and picnic spot, which featured a salt lick and sulphur spring. The grounds became a natural location to build a modest baseball field.

Newspaper accounts referred to the Nashville ballpark as Sulphur Springs Park. The park was best known as Athletic Park in those early years. Murfreesboro native and sportswriting legend, Grantland Rice, later named the field Sulphur Dell.

One of the earliest recorded baseball games appeared in the city