It was built by the Waverly Club as the first enclosed ballpark in Baltimore, with spectator seating and player clubhouses, and was the site of the first intercity game played in Baltimore (Brooklyn Excelsiors 51, Baltimore Excelsiors 6) on September 22, 1860; it was the site of a 47-7 defeat of the local Marylands by the undefeated Cincinnati Red Stockings in 1869, and it was used by the Washington Olympics for a professional game in 1871. On August 16, 1870, it was the site of an intercity game between black teams. It would continue to be used for games staged by black teams, in a time before there were any organized Negro leagues.

The ballpark was home to the Maryland club of the National Association, who had a brief fling as a professional club in 1873. Retrosheet differs from Michael Benson's Baseball Parks of North America, in that Benson states the Maryland club lasted until July 11 at the ballpark. Retrosheet indicates that only one game was played there and that the July 11 game was at Newington Park, the home of the relatively established Lord Baltimore club. The Maryland club, in fact, played only six games as professionals: the first two against Washington, and the last four against their intra-city rivals.

🏟️