Historic Holman Stadium | |
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 Interactive map of Holman Stadium | |
| Location | 67 Amherst Street Nashua, New Hampshire 03064 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°46′8.71″N71°28′23.50″W / 42.7690861°N 71.4731944°W /42.7690861; -71.4731944 |
| Owner | City of Nashua |
| Capacity | 2,800 |
| Field size | Left Field: 307 ft Center Field: 401 ft Right Field: 315 ft |
| Surface | Grass |
| Construction | |
| Opened | September 23, 1937 |
| Renovated | 2002 |
| Tenants | |
| Nashua Silver Knights (Futures Collegiate Baseball League) 2011–present American Defenders of New Hampshire (Can-Am League) 2009 Nashua Pride (Atlantic League/Can-Am League) 1998–2008 Nashua Hawks (North Atlantic League) 1995–1996 Nashua Pirates (Eastern League) 1984–1986 Nashua Angels (Eastern League) 1983 Nashua Dodgers (New England League) 1946–1949 | |
Holman Stadium is a baseball stadium inNashua, New Hampshire. It was constructed in 1937, as a multi-purpose stadium, by the City of Nashua. The officialseating capacity is 2,800 people. Holman is the home of theNashua Silver Knights of theFutures Collegiate Baseball League.
The city-owned stadium is named for Charles Frank Holman, who contributed $55,000 for the project. Holman Stadium, which also was funded by the federalWorks Progress Administration during theGreat Depression, was dedicated to the youth and people of Nashua in memory of Holman's parents. Philip S. Avery, a Nashua native, was the architect. The original Holman Stadium was a plain seating bowl in which fans sat on bleachers and concrete steps. It was used for baseball andfootball. The stadium has hosted concerts by famous artists includingAerosmith,The Beach Boys,Bon Jovi,David Cassidy,Elvis Costello,Bob Dylan,The J. Geils Band,Whitney Houston,Tina Turner,Carlos Santana,Phish,Warren Zevon, andBonnie Raitt opening forJames Taylor. In 1996, the stadium was a site for celebrations along the Olympic Torch Relay route.
The stadium was home to severalminor-league affiliates ofMajor League Baseball organizations, beginning with theNashua Dodgers, affiliated with theBrooklyn Dodgers and managed byWalter Alston. Holman hosted the first integrated U.S. baseball team in the modern era whenRoy Campanella andDon Newcombe played for the Nashua Dodgers in 1946. A historic marker highlighting this was unveiled at Holman Stadium in 2023 by theBlack Heritage Trail of New Hampshire.[1][2]
After the Dodgers' four-year run, baseball did not return to Holman Stadium until 1983, at theDouble-A level: an affiliate of theCalifornia Angels for one year, then an affiliate of thePittsburgh Pirates. While home to the Nashua Pirates in 1985, Holman Stadium hosted theEastern League All-Star Game.[3]
The Nashua Hawks of theNorth Atlantic League played at Holman Stadium in 1995, ending in 1996 with a mid-season eviction for nonpayment of rent.
In 1998, Holman Stadium became home to theNashua Pride of theAtlantic League. The Pride acquired turquoise-coloredstadium seating fromFulton County Stadium inAtlanta, Georgia. The Pride's pre-emption of dates from high-school football became a focus of neighborhood opposition, but eventually the city built Stellos Stadium for football.[4]
Between the 2001 and 2002 seasons, the stadium was upgraded generally: The open-air desks in the brick press box were raised, enclosed and modernized; a new level ofluxury boxes was built above it, the concourse outside the seating bowl was upgraded with a ticket office and gift shop, and the business offices were upgraded. In 2003, Holman Stadium hosted the Atlantic League All-Star Game.
In 2006, the Pride switched to theCan-Am League with its shorter season. In 2008, the team was sold to an ownership group including formerBoston Red Sox General ManagerDan Duquette and renamed the American Defenders of New Hampshire. The Defenders played a single season in 2009, concluded on the road because of non-payments to the city; in 2010, the team moved toPittsfield, Massachusetts to become thePittsfield Colonials.
In 2011, the Nashua Silver Knights brought baseball back to Holman Stadium. In 2012, Holman Stadium hosted the inaugural FCBL All-Star Game. The former football bleachers, down the left-field line, were removed, reducing the stadium's capacity to the current 2,800; the football press box remains but is now used as a storage shed.
In 2017, the city installed a new sound system and a small videoboard beyond left field, costing $173,000, of which $56,000 was paid for by the Silver Knights. The videoboard supersedes a two-line alphanumeric message board that had not worked for the preceding four years and could not be repaired.[5]
In the springtime, the stadium serves as the home field for two of Nashua's schools, the Raiders ofRivier University[6] and the Cardinals ofBishop Guertin High School.
Baseball clubs at Holman Stadium compete for fans' attention with theNew Hampshire Fisher Cats inManchester (double-A affiliate of theToronto Blue Jays);[7] and with theLowell Spinners (single-A affiliate of theBoston Red Sox) until 2020. The Spinners owned and operated theNashua Silver Knights until 2016.[8]