Before there was Three Rivers, Exposition Park was the center of entertainment in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. While there were technically three versions of Exposition, the first and the last stood on the very spot where so many legendary moments would eventually be made in an entirely different venue. This is the origin of sports in the Steel City.
A Humble Beginning
It was called Kilbuck Island during the French and Indian War. At the time, the site that would host baseball's first World Series was set apart, almost as if it was destined for great things. The Big Flood of 1763 uncovered an old Indian burial ground and 89 years later that unremarkable island was filled in with the rest of the city of Allegheny.
That site was ready for use when the Allegheny Tradesmen's Industrial Institute burned down and they needed a site to build a multi-use facility that was capable of holding all sorts of exhibitions. So in 1882, Exposition Park was erected on the banks of the Allegheny River.
In those days, Allegheny City was not apart of Pittsburgh and was very much its own entity. While Pittsburgh was busy building itself into one of the top steel producers in America, Allegheny was more of a suburban community, lavishing in the success of its residents that worked across the river. There, parties were aplenty as the city seemed to be stuck in a perpetual celebration of good fortune.
In other words, the city was ripe for a professional sports team. The place was doomed from the start. Built much too close to the river and with a grandstand that allowed water to gathers around home plate, the threat of flooding was constant from above and below. The Pittsburgh Alleghenies of the American Association played just 1882 there before a fire at the wooden ballpark forced them to decamp to a new ballpark that had recently been built further from the river: Exposition Park II.
The Alleghenies played there for only the first half of 1883 before flooding again forced them to move back to Exposition I. Beleaguered, they moved to Recreation Park in 1884. Meanwhile, a new league was being developed and they needed a venue to host games for their Pittsburgh squad.
The Glory Years
When the Players League began play in 1890, Exposition Park I had been refurbished to a more modern look, therefore rendering it the unofficial title "Exposition Park III". the ballpark had undergone extensive work over the past few months that included a second deck to the grandstand, luxury boxes on the roof (the first of its kind) and twin spires that greeted fans as they entered. Although the Pittsburgh Burghers of the Players League lasted just a year, the Pirates quickly moved in the following spring, ready to call the place "home".
Still, the problems persisted. They never did figure out the flooding issues on either end and once were forced to play a double-header with a flooded outfield. On that strange day on July 4, 1902, more than a foot of water covered the outfield, forcing the Pirates to improve. For 18 innings, both the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Pirates played under a unique set of rules that mandated that anything hit into the outfield water was a single.
Pittsburgh won both games that day, helping them claim their second straight National League title. They would make it a trifecta the following year, but something was different: it was the first World's Series. Though the Pirates battled the Boston Americans with all of their hearts, it just wasn't enough as they fell five games to three.
They would stay in Exposition Park for the rest of the decade, treating fans to some of the game's greatest. Legends such as Jake Beckley, Fred Clarke and Honus Wagner kept the crowd entertained and drew them into lifelong fandom. On July 22, 1908, Tim Jordan blasted the only home run to clear the ballpark, wowing the crowd into submission.
Baseball wasn't the ballpark's only form of entertainment. Over the years, football teams from all over the Pittsburgh area called Exposition Park "home". But while the Allegheny Athletic Association (1890-1891, 1894, 1896), the Duquesne Country & A.C. (1895-1900) and the Homestead Library & A.C. (1904) proved to be unmemorable, the Western University of Pennsylvania (now known as the University of Pittsburgh) enjoyed some of its best football in the soggy grounds of Exposition Park. While they didn't win much in those days, W.U.P. went undefeated in 1904 while outscoring opponents 407-5.
Meanwhile another future Hall of Famer, Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss, was busy overseeing the completion of a palace to the game in the heart of the city. After beginning 1909 at their old stomping grounds, the Pittsburgh Pirates moved to Forbes Field. While the Pirates went on to win the World Series that year, Exposition Park was getting ready for its last hurrah. After hosting theUSBL's Pittsburgh Filipinos (1912) and the Stogies/Rebels of the Federal League (1913-1915), Exposition Park was demolished. today, a plaque in the shape of a base rests where Exposition Park once stood.
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