PROJECT Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park

ARCHITECT WBCM:Randall Hughes, Ryan Smith, Argiroula Markakis, Joseph Moyer, Om M. Khurjekar, Keval ThakkarHord Coplan Macht - Master Plan design in collaboration with Whitney, Bailey, Cox, & Magnani, LLC and Architect of Pavilion
GENERAL CONTRACTOR NASTOS CONSTRUCTION INC.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Whitney, Bailey, Cox, & Magnani, LLC
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Whitney, Bailey, Cox, & Magnani, LLC
CIVIL ENGINEER Whitney, Bailey, Cox, & Magnani, LLC
MECHANICAL ENGINEER
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER
PHOTOGRAPHER/RENDERER Argiroula Markakis
 

LOCATION  Galesville, Maryland, US​

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  9/10/2022

The Wilson farmstead and Hot Sox Field was a community baseball field for the Galesville Hot Sox, a local semi-professional Negro league team formed in 1915. The purpose of this project was to reinstate a community landmark and gathering place, rehabilitate the character defining elements of the site, and bring awareness to the historic significance of the Wilson Family, the Hot Sox Team and the important tradition of Negro Baseball Leagues in Maryland. The site communicates Anne Arundel County’s commitment to preserving African American history and tradition.

This unique and historically significant site was formerly the property of Henry Wilson, a manumitted slave. He and his family helped establish an African American community in Galesville that still thrives today. In 1928, they converted their family farm into a baseball field for the Galesville Hot Sox. The team competed against other sandlot teams throughout the Eastern Shore, and even the Negro Professional League. The Hot Sox gained notoriety and became an important part of the identity of Galesville. The ballfield became not only a place for sport, but also a place for gathering and community during segregation.

Wilson Park improvements incorporated rehabilitation of the baseball field including backstop and fencing, reconstruction of dugouts, new covered grandstand, picnic shelter, stormwater management facilities, permeable parking, ADA upgrades to make the park more accessible, signage, and the installation of trail and sidewalks to connect the park to the surrounding community. The new structures on the site, including the dugouts, grandstand and pavilion restore the overall site to reflect its original use.

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