Discover the Gritty and Historic Sporting Culture of Fall River, MA

Fall River, MA is a city with a rich history in sports that reflects its diverse and resilient community. With events dating back 50 to 150 years, there are many opportunities for interested travelers to explore this unique sporting culture.

One mustvisit location is the Old Colony Football League Hall of Fame (342 N Main St, Fall River, MA 02720), which honors former players from the mid1900s who played in amateur football leagues around New England. Another historic venue is the Durfee High School Gymnasium (360 Elsbree St, Fall River, MA 02720), where basketball legends including Jack McMahon and Julius Erving have played.

For baseball enthusiasts, visit Spillane Field (180 Stafford Rd., Fall River MA 02721), originally built in the late 1800s as part of an amusement park called Lincoln Park. The field was home to various Minor League teams throughout history including one owned by Louis Perreira also known as The Baseball Czar. In addition to baseball games you can learn about how they brought elephants onto take batting practice during circus events held at Lincoln Park next door from local historians.

Boxing fans should not miss The County Street Gym (65 Hartwell St., Fall River MA) ,the second oldest continuously operating boxing gym in the country established over ninetyfive years ago. Numerous notable boxers such as Rocky Marciano trained there throughout its long existence.

Last but not least make your way down Brayton Avenue towards Cook Pond where John Duff created one of Americas first freshwater swimming races dubbed The Seaview Carnival. Crowds celebrated local water polo victories while enjoying band music blasting out on planks extending into Cook Pond itself almost every summer since it began over one hundred five years ago(1134 Brayton Ave., Somerset).

These locations and events not only capture the history of sports in Fall River but also reflect the citys industrial, gritty, diverse and resilient spirit. Dont miss your chance to immerse yourself in this unique sporting culture.

Old Colony Football League Hall of Fame: http://www.ocflhalloffame.org/

Durfee High School Athletics: https://durfeeathletics.com/

Spillane Field :https://fallriverhistorical.org/aboutus/spillanefieldhistory/

County Street Gym:http://www.countystreetgym.com/

John Duff/Cook Pond:

http://hockomocksports.com/johnduffestablishedamericanfreshwaterswimmingrecordinnortonpool/