Hawkins Stadium

Albany New York

Former home of the Albany Senators
(Double-A)

All photographs in this series appear courtesy of
Chris Hunter of the
Schenectady Museum and
Science Center

from the G.E. Collection of Historic Photographs

(special thanks to Stephen L.J. Russo)
92 years of professional baseball have taken place in New York's capital of Albany the vast majority of them have occurred here at Hawkins Stadium in the suburb of Menands. Serving the Double-A Eastern League and Triple-A International League, Hawkins Stadium debuted as the home stadium for the Albany Senators in 1928, an Eastern League team. This however, was not the Eastern League that we know of today. Instead, the E.L. was a Class A baseball league which lasted from 1916 until 1932 when it finally became defunct, not to return again. The New York Pennsylvania League of 1923-1932 took over the old "Eastern League" name and that would become the E.L. that we know today. (The New York Pennsylvania League today meanwhile was not related to this NY-Penn League but rather developed out of the old PONY League. Hope you‘re not thoroughly confused. There will be a test on this later). The new Hawkins Stadium replaced the aging Chadwick Park which had been located on these same grounds. One of the unique aspects of Hawkins Stadium was the fact that an amusement park was located just past the outfield fence including a roller coaster, much like Altoona’s current Blair County Ballpark. When the Albany Senators took the field in 1928 at Hawkins Stadium, they were not affiliated with any franchise as the Class A Eastern League held no MLB affiliations until their final year in 1932, and even then only to 3 teams… the Albany Senators not being one of them.