Hicks Field
Why it's listed
Hicks Field is a baseball park on about three and a half acres at East Freemason and Woodard Streets in Edenton, North Carolina, beside John A. Holmes High School. Six contributing and three noncontributing resources make up the district. The core was built in 1939-1940: a wooden grandstand seating about 530 under a metal roof carried by laminated columns and trusses, the diamond, an eight-foot wooden outfield fence, and a frame field house. Two poured-concrete dugouts were added in 1947. Lights, a refreshment stand and a scoreboard are later additions. The field was listed for its role in recreation and entertainment between 1939 and 1952. Beginning in 1940, minor league clubs from Reading, Pocomoke City, Lancaster and Binghamton held spring training here, and exhibition games drew attention from the local press and large crowds. The field also served local and regional teams and the high school, and it still hosts baseball today.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the field is significant under entertainment/recreation for its long use as a local baseball venue and as a spring training site for minor league teams from the north beginning in 1940. Teams from Reading, Pocomoke City, Lancaster and Binghamton trained there, and exhibition games drew notable players. The facility was built with Works Progress Administration involvement.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 95001050, listed September 13, 1995. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Jct. of Freemason and Woodard Sts., NE corner, Edenton |
|---|---|
| County | Chowan County |
| Listed | September 13, 1995 |
| Reference number | 95001050 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1939 - 1952 |
| Architect / builder | Works Progress Administration |
| Architectural style | No style (diamond and fields); other: columns and truss (grandstand); functional (fieldhouse and dugouts) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Entertainment/Recreation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Grandstand upper sections were found structurally deficient in 1994, and a temporary fence confined fans to the front rows until restoration. The field remains in use for baseball, including high school games. |
| Acreage | 3.5 |
| Coordinates | 36.06507, -76.60527 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 95001050.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5773515
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.