COMISKEY PARK

Comiskey Park 1914. Photo courtesy: James E. Jacobsen

COMISKEY PARK. Recreational area. On June 20, 1929, Comiskey Park was dedicated and named in honor of Charles Albert COMISKEY, the famed baseball player and club owner.

Originally the park had been named the Twenty-Fourth Street Park when it was opened in 1885. This was the year that Dubuque had joined the Eastern Iowa Baseball League. Before playing at Comiskey, baseball games were played at NUTWOOD PARK better known for its horse races. From 1895 until 1927 (or 1914), the field served as the home field for the city’s team, affiliated with the Eastern Iowa League (1895), as an independent (1895-99), the Western Association (1899-1901) and the Triple-I League (1901-14), and then the Mississippi Valley League (1922-32). The team was particularly successful in 1895 and 1923. Baseball moved to Petrakis Field on 4th Street in 1927. Charles Albert Comiskey (1859-1931) who played with the Dubuque Rabbits from 1879-82 became the namesake for the field on June 20, 1929. Previously the block was called “Olinger Park” and was privately owned by the Olinger family. The city purchased the park and dedicated it to the noted player.

In 2008 Comiskey Park was still located on 24th and Jackson STREETS. Now a family play area, the grounds have no resemblance to the ball field with its high wooden fences and covered bleachers.

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Source:

Jacobsen, James E. The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955, p. 12