“A Jackal, Negro League Baseball, and a 92-year-old Stadium”

Hinchliffe Stadium is nestled uphill from the Great Falls in Paterson, New Jersey. The view of the natural waterfalls that powered manufacturing plants and played a major role in the industrial development of New Jersey is breathtaking.

The Stadium was first erected in 1932 as a combination athletic facility and an entertainment hub for the working class of Paterson who were struggling through the early years of the Great Depression.

Before the integration of Major League Baseball in 1947, black ball players played in the fan thrilled Negro Leagues, many at Hinchliffe Stadium. Eleven weeks after Jackie Robinson’s historic debut integration in Major League Baseball, was Larry Doby a Patersonian.

Doby played at Hinchliffe Stadium during his high school years. He later joined the Newark Eagles in the Negro Leagues, where he showcased his talent and caught the attention of American League scouts. Doby’s journey from playing at Hinchliffe Stadium to breaking barriers in the American League highlights the interconnectedness of sports history, civil rights, and the enduring struggle for equality in America.

Doby signed with the Cleveland Indians in July 1947. His contributions to the game were significant, as he faced similar challenges and prejudices as Robinson. He helped pave the way for future generations of black players in MLB.

The stadium shut down in 1997 due to disrepair and laid dormant locked away behind wooden boards, graffiti, and chain link locks for 27 years, before developers began restoration of the Paterson historical site.

Fast forward to 2023, the new addition, the Charles J. Muth Museum at Hinchliffe, finished construction last month. Additionally, in 2023, the New Jersey Jackals, part of the Frontier League and a partner League of Major League Baseball named the historic ballpark home of the Jackals.

The Jackals held their season opener game at Hinchliffe on May 9, 2024. Ticket holders arrived one hour before first pitch to peruse the new museum, not yet open fully to the public. The Muth Museum at Hinchliffe, named after its benefactor, is operated by Montclair State University. 

For those venturing to the museum, it’s a solemn sight indeed. Being first greeted by placards of three Negro League teams that called Hinchliffe home in the 1930’s: the Newark Eagles, the New York Black Yankees, and the New York Cubans.

The Muth Museum serves as a repository of artifacts and memorabilia related to the stadium’s history, including items from the Negro Leagues’ era. It highlights the cultural significance of Hinchliffe Stadium and its role in the development of sports and African American heritage in New Jersey.

Museum director, Jessica Bush, tells a group of onlookers in the gift shop that the integration of baseball was great for society but bad for lots of businesses. “There was a system of businesses that supported the Negro Leagues,” she explains, “and integration dismantled all of that. How many people not only never played baseball again, but how many people were out of work?” A museum patron interjects: “African Americans had vibrant businesses [back then].”

The highlight of the Muth Museum is a large theater, surrounded by glass windows that overlook the Great Falls. Looking from one historic site down to the other, Paterson connects a Jackal, the Negro Leagues, and a nearly 100-year-old stadium quite nicely.

Entering the stadium on the Jackals’ opening night is nostalgic for those who grew up attending sports events at Hinchcliffe every weekend. The smell of the popcorn never grows stale, ever. The bustling crowds at the concession stands were hard to get through then, and still today. 

“It’s thirsty Thursdays! Beers are $3.00!” A fan shouts. She is dressed in full Jackals gear, wearing a pair of sunglasses and somehow carrying three beers with two hands. 

Summertime, by Will Smith, blasts from speakers throughout the revived stadium. It’s a good night for baseball.

Children think so too! Behind the home bench, where round tables are set up for dignitaries like Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh and the Jackals new General Manager John Hunt, is a large empty space just for kids.

Some have baseball gloves. Others try to get the attention of practicing Jackals players. When they finally do, what does the Jackals player do? At a baseball game, he throws a football back and forth with the youngsters. Only at the Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson could you get baseball and football in the same night. Life is good.

Together, these three elements reflect the intertwined narratives of baseball, civil rights, and community history, particularly within the context of African American experiences in sports and society.