Heaton Stadium

Heaton Stadium

Heaton Stadium Location within Georgia
Address	78 Milledge Road Augusta, GA 30904
Location	Augusta, Georgia
Coordinates	33°29′42″N82°0′2″W / 33.49500°N 82.00056°W / 33.49500; -82.00056
Capacity	3,600 [1]
Record attendance	6,231 (August 16, 1991) [1]
Surface	Grass
Construction
Built	1988 [2] [3]
Opened	April 12, 1988 (1988-04-12) [4]
Closed	September, 1994 [3]
Tenants
Augusta Pirates (SAL) 1988–1993 [2] [3] Augusta GreenJackets (SAL) 1994

Heaton Stadium was a baseball stadium in Augusta, Georgia, United States. It was the home field of the Augusta Pirates/Augusta GreenJackets Minor League Baseball team of the Class A South Atlantic League from 1988 to 1994. After the 1994 season the site was redeveloped as the GreenJackets' next home, Lake Olmstead Stadium. ^[3]

Heaton Stadium was named for Bill Heaton, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and partner in the team ownership who worked for six years to bring a minor league club to Augusta. ^[5] Heaton reportedly built the stadium with his own money, ^[6] assembling bleachers bought from other locations ^[7] with the help of volunteers and high school workers paid minimum wage. ^{[7] [8]}

References

1. Byler, Billy (May 31, 2009). "Rehabbing stars play major roles in minors". The Augusta Chronicle . Retrieved November 11, 2018.
2. Hart, John (May 14, 2017). "Leaving The Lake: Looking back at 30 Years of baseball at Lake Olmstead Stadium". WJBF . Retrieved November 11, 2018.
3. Sanders, Steve (July 29, 2007). "Similar proposal for a new home was made in '93". The Augusta Chronicle . Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
4. Sanders, Steve (July 29, 2007). "It would be 'more than just a stadium'". The Augusta Chronicle . Archived from the original on November 11, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
5. "Macon Baseball Franchise to Move to Augusta". Los Angeles Times . Associated Press. October 11, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
6. Mullins, Robert A. (May 2014). 12 Monkeys & a Green Jacket. Xlibris Corporation. p. 197. ISBN   9781493189717 . Retrieved November 11, 2018.
7. Kirby, Bill (September 3, 2017). "WAY WE WERE: Bill Heaton builds a ballfield, lures a team". The Augusta Chronicle . Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
8. Boyette, John (August 8, 2017). "Bill Heaton, who brought minor league baseball back to Augusta, dies". The Augusta Chronicle . Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.