TeamWashington Pilots
LocationWashington, District of Columbia
Closed1947
Capacity5,000
About Frederick Douglass Memorial Park
One of the few entirely Black-owned, Black-built ballparks in early-20th-century America — Frederick Douglass Memorial Park hosted Washington's two short-lived Negro League franchises (the Pilots in 1932 and the Black Senators in 1938) before larger venues like Griffith Stadium became the primary D.C. Negro League sites. The park's small size and Black ownership made it a community institution beyond just baseball — hosting picnics, political rallies, and civil-rights organizing throughout its 22-year existence. After Negro League use ended, the venue continued as a community park before being demolished in 1947.
Fun facts
- Named for Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist statesman who lived his final years at Cedar Hill in nearby Anacostia.
- One of the few entirely Black-owned baseball venues in early-20th-century America.
- Both Negro National League franchises that called this park home folded after a single season — the Pilots in 1932, the Black Senators in 1938.
- After demolition, the site was eventually redeveloped as part of the postwar D.C. urban renewal era.
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