A lot of history to `the pit' or Sprague Field

Posted 8/23/16

To the Editor: My congratulations to the Warwick North Little League players. I lived in a part of Warwick that was not conducive to learning about either baseball or Little League so I found out about the game too late to develop good skills.

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

A lot of history to `the pit' or Sprague Field

Posted

To the Editor:

My congratulations to the Warwick North Little League players. I lived in a part of Warwick that was not conducive to learning about either baseball or Little League so I found out about the game too late to develop good skills. Nevertheless, my Industrial League softball team did win the state championship one year and I was thrilled to play in the Nationals near St Louis, Missouri. I think I know how excited they must be.

I believe I read in the Beacon and the Journal that everyone calls the Warwick North field the "pit.” I did too, once upon a time. However, I'm writing to note that the entire area is dedicated to my great grandfather, Rufus J. Sprague. The plaque of dedication is next to the driveway and is relatively easy to read. As it says, Rufus was the first council member of Ward 1 when Warwick became a city. The dedication was made in 1933, the year he died. It would be easy to think that no relatives exist that care about the field name anymore but a few of us are still around and some of us are still in Warwick.

Rufus was married to Ida Estelle Greene, a descendant from the same family that included Nathaniel Greene. They had four children: Forrest, Everett, Bertha, and Myrtle. Forrest Sprague was Chief of Police for the city of Warwick and, the last time I checked, had served the longest time as Chief. Bertha, his daughter and my grandmother, was a schoolteacher and taught at several Warwick schools, usually teaching third grade. She married Manuel Cooney, who was the City of Warwick's Health Inspector for many years. He was also a volunteer firefighter in the Lakewood Fire Company. I remember him being very upset from having to take care of bodies in Conimicut after hurricane Carol. Myrtle's husband, Frank Cherms, was the son of the skilled cabinetmaker brought over from England specifically by Gorham Silver to make a desk that may still be on display at the Rhode Island School of Design museum.

 While my career took me on a path that did not include working for the city, I have lived here all my life and am currently a member of the Conimicut Village Association. My “home” has never been more than two miles from where I live today.

While Rufus Sprague may no longer be well known name and the Warwick North field may be commonly called the "pit,” it could also be called "Sprague Field" or “Sprague Playground,” especially by reporters. The family is still around in Warwick, contributes when it can, and does remember the work Rufus and others have done.

Doug Ray

Warwick

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here