Palo Alto Ave.
15th St.
Foreman Park
FOREMAN PARK: A METAPHOR FOR SPORT AND RACE
Once located on the corner of Palo Alto and East 15th St. in Panama City’s historic Glenwood neighborhood, Foreman Park served as a symbol of the community’s vibrant economic, social, and cultural history. The games provided top-notch entertainment, and local fans packed the stadium to witness legendary professional Black baseball players display their talent. The crowds these players attracted, as well as the logistics of planning sporting contests, boosted local businesses and contributed to a sense of community pride and solidarity. The stadium suffered its finale in 1951 after the Panama City
Housing Authority converted the field and its surroundings into Massalina Memorial Homes, a segregated public housing project that accommodated low-income families. The transition signified the city’s removal of a vital commercial area and the money-making potential it represented, foreshadowing the community’s future. Foreman Park served as a metaphor of the collision between sport and race in Panama City. When the stadium opened in 1947, Jackie Robinson had already reintegrated Major League Baseball and professional Negro League Baseball had slipped further into decline. African Americans had successfully challenged the color line, a “gentleman’s agreement” of
A SYMBOL OF COMMUNITY: Though Foreman Park's physical structure no longer exists, the stadium once served as a symbol of the community’s vibrant economic, social, and cultural history. It was located at the corner of Palo Alto and East 15th St. in the historic Glenwood neighborhood of Panama City, Florida. 4 | Portraits of Black History in Bay County
