Ebbets Field

Ask most long suffering Brooklyn Dodger fans if there are any still standing remains of a home ballpark and you will likely get a resounding "No" for an answer. The truth is, there are remnants of the past hiding in broad daylight on the streets of Brooklyn. First, tucked away near the Gowanus Canal is part of Washington Park, where the Dodgers played prior to Ebbets Field. It is unmarked, and rather unremarkable; yet it exists to this day none the less. The second item, while mostly forgotten, is marked! Most casual baseball fans know that Ebbets Field was torn down in 1960, and that the Jackie Robinson apartments were erected on the site. Nothing else from the ball park remained. What most people don't know is that the center field flagpole from Ebbets Field still stands in Brooklyn.

As seen in the postcard image above, the flagpole was atop the left hand side of the scoreboard. Saved from the wrecking ball and donated to a VFW post, the old center field flagpole still stands tall, though almost entirely in oblivion today. In the heart of Flatlands, adjacent to the sidewalk, you can go right up to her, put your hand on it, close your eyes, and either imagine what it was like in day's past, or for those who were there, remember the bond that existed between a team and the borough of Brooklyn. Either way, the echoes of the past are still here today.