Municipal Stadium at Hobbs Park Legacy Project

08/31/2026

You know you’re from Lawrence… but did you know this about Hobbs Park?

Here’s a little piece of Municipal Stadium history from July 1966!

This photo and newspaper blurb were found at the Spencer Research Library by local researcher Monica Davis while researching the history of Municipal Stadium at Hobbs Park. The Pittsburgh Pirates held tryouts right here in Lawrence! It’s just one piece of the long history we’re uncovering as part of the Municipal Stadium at Hobbs Park Legacy Project.

And we know there’s plenty of Hobbs history that isn’t sitting in an archive.
Do you have a Hobbs Park story? Did you play baseball there, watch games from the stands, grow up nearby, attend an event, or play kickball under the lights? Maybe you have old photos, programs or newspaper clippings tucked away somewhere?

Share your memories and photos in the comments! We’d love to see what Lawrence has saved over the years.

📸 Photo research credit: Monica Davis, local researcher * found at the Spencer Research Library

08/27/2026

We recently submitted a National Register of Historic Places nomination draft to the Kansas State Historical Society for review, an important step toward recognizing and preserving the history of Municipal Stadium.

We’re also excited to announce that the Douglas County Historical Society was awarded a $12,000 grant from the state Historic Preservation Fund to help fund a Historic Structure Report for Municipal Stadium!

The Historic Structure Report will help us identify needed structural work, estimated costs, and a timeline for future improvements. It will give us a roadmap for preserving this historic Lawrence landmark while helping ensure Municipal Stadium can continue to be an accessible recreation facility for our community for generations to come. We anticipate moving forward with this work this fall.

This grant is a huge step forward, but it only funds one piece of a much larger project, and we still need your help! We are continuing to raise funds to support the future of Municipal Stadium and the work ahead.

If you believe Hobbs is worth preserving, please consider donating, sharing this post, and helping us spread the word. Even if you can’t make a donation, sharing the project with friends, family, former players, neighbors, and anyone who has a connection to Hobbs can make a difference. We have big plans for Hobbs, and we need our community behind us to make them happen.

We’re also working on a way to share occasional project updates outside of Facebook. If you’d like to be added to our future blog or email list, let us know!
Thank you to everyone who has donated, shared our story, volunteered, researched, or supported this project along the way. We’ve made some exciting progress, and we can’t wait to see what the future brings for Hobbs!

You can donate directly to the Municipal Stadium at Hobbs Park Legacy Project fund through the Douglas County Community Foundation: https://dccfoundation.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=6742

07/09/2026

Thanks to the Hosts of Nerd Nite - Lawrence
We had a lof of fun learning about 17 other topics & got to present our project to a great group of people.
Here is our 3 minute presentation by Andrew Stockmann

06/08/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to our Community Listening Session yesterday!

Sharing the history of Municipal Stadium is a huge part of our mission to help preserve this East Lawrence landmark. We enjoyed hearing stories, seeing old photos, and collecting ideas about what the next chapter of the stadium could look like.

A special thank you to everyone who took the time to share memories, ask questions, and add their thoughts to our vision boards. Your input will help guide the future of this community treasure.

The conversation is just getting started, and we're excited to keep sharing the history, significance, and potential of Municipal Stadium with the community.

The Lawrence Times stopped by the event and shared a great recap here: https://lawrencekstimes.com/2026/06/07/municipal-stadium-listening-session/

06/03/2026

Join the Hobbs Park Legacy Project
Community Listening Session featuring historic photos, preservation updates, community memories, and opportunities to share ideas for the future of the site.

Whether you played there, grew up nearby, or just care about preserving local history, we’d love to hear from you.

📍 Bon Bon! – 804 Pennsylvania St.
📅 Sunday, June 7
⏰ 2:00–5:00 PM

All are welcome.

A collective of Lawrence organizations are raising money to nominate the Municipal Stadium at Hobbs Park for a national historic registry. The group will host a public listening session to discuss the project. https://lawrenceks.news/4a9fjAg

05/21/2026

There’s something special about seeing this stadium full of people.
Preserving Municipal Stadium isn’t just about saving concrete and steel, it’s about protecting a place that brings people together. ⚾🥎❤️
Learn more about the project at our upcoming Community Listening Session at Bon Bon! 📅 June 7 ⏰ 2–5 PM
All are welcome. https://www.facebook.com/share/1Kn5akLG1d/

05/13/2026

Help shape the future of Municipal Stadium ⚾
Join us for a Community Listening Session at Bon Bon!

📅 June 7 ⏰ 2–5 PM

Community input • preservation plans • project updates
All are welcome.

https://www.facebook.com/share/18ZzVKaun2/