Duncan Park is the home of the Spartanburg Stingers of the Coastal Plain League. This is a collegiate wooden bat summer league. Duncan Park was once the home of affiliated minor league baseball, most recently the Spartanburg Phillies of the South Atlantic League.
This is a real gem tucked away in a residential area of Spartanburg. I stopped in one morning while passing through and wish I could have stayed for a game. The place had a magical feel about it. Perhaps it was the amiable stadium staff who allowed free access to take photos while they worked to prepare the stadium for the upcoming Stingers season.
Maybe it was the warm, humid air lazily pushing a few high clouds and not even bothering to rustle the luscious trees that surround the ballpark. Whatever the reason, I was enchanted. Duncan Park is a charming old ballpark that may have seen it's last professional baseball game, but it should be marked down on your list if you are passing through the area during the months when the collegiate summer league is in season.
The old covered grandstand showed significant signs of age with peeling paint, broken planks and rust all around, but the crew on hand were doing their best to keep the old barn in shape for another season. They seemed to have a real affection for the place. I hope they are able to bring it back to it's past glory.
I sat for a few minutes with a couple of older gentlemen as they took a break to sip some coffee. One of them told me with great pride that Duncan was the oldest minor league stadium in America. Since I was passing through on my way to Rickwood Field in Alabama, I knew that this was certainly not the case... but I didn't have the heart to tell him. "Really?" I said. "Well, it certainly is a beauty."
