Foreman Park: A Metaphor for Sport and Race

15th St.

Palo Alto Ave.

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.

Images courtesy of WJHG, Gray Media Group, Inc. A PLACE OF CHANGE: In 1951, Descome Foreman sold Foreman Park to the Panama City Housing Authority, which then become Massalina Memorial Homes later that year. In 2018, the complex suffered extensive damage from Hurriance Michael (pictured at top). In 2020, Massalina Memorial Homes were demolished (pictured above) and construction is currently underway for The Park at Massalina.

THE DEED: The original deed to the land sold to Farris and Descome Foreman on March 22, 1947. The brothers converted the land to Foreman Park later that year.

racial segregation in professional baseball, but the local level functioned differently. This proved especially true in neighborhoods like Glenwood, where entertainment remained racially divided and Black businesses, including the business of Black baseball, struggled financially. According to one Black resident, “we had gambling, baseball, dances, churches, and jukes.” Promoters of Black sports and entertainment chased and captured the segregated dollar to help ensure the economic success of their commercial ventures.

The Foreman brothers, Farris and Descome, recognized the financial potential in Black baseball and formed the Panama City Blue Sox in 1947. Though African American ownership of ballparks was rare and most Black teams leased space from white clubs, the brothers proceeded to purchase land and build a first-rate stadium to serve as the Blue Sox’s homefield. The property was acquired for an estimated $10 on March 22, 1947, from Clyde C. Farris, a local white businessman who later managed the El Dorado Hotel and owned Farris Fish Bait, both located in Lynn Haven, Florida. After the property exchanged hands, the Foremans built an enclosed grandstand behind homeplate, enriched the infield with clay, and carefully manicured the outfield grass. They also reserved a section of the stands for white fans who wished to attend games. The first recorded contest at Foreman Park was held on Sunday, July 6, 1947, against the Montgomery Red Sox. The Blue Sox lost, 5-2.

A FIERCE RIVALRY: The Panama City Blue Sox enjoyed its fiercest rivalry against the Port St. Joe Sluggers led by the team’s player-manager Nathan Peters.