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Keeping Track Of City's Past

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By MIKE WELLS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 3, 2008

TAMPA - The lives of those who competed on and died on Plant Field were commemorated Saturday when Hillsborough County's Historical Advisory Council unveiled a historical marker at the University of Tampa.

The marker recognizes Plant Field for its importance as a community gathering place since the early 1900s.

Named for railroad and hotel magnate Henry B. Plant, the field was the site of many important community events, including car races, major league baseball spring training games, high school and college football games, and political rallies. It's now the site of UT's athletic fields.

The half-mile horse-racing track that Plant built in the late 1890s was altered to accommodate dirt-track auto racing. From February 1921 until the mid-1970s, races were held each year during the South Florida Fair, later designated as the Florida State Fair. Several drivers lost their lives at Plant Field.

The field served as the home for several major league baseball teams during spring training. The Boston Red Sox played home games at Plant Field in 1919, and Babe Ruth, playing for the Red Sox, hit the longest home run of his career during a game on Plant Field.

Mike Wells

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