In Orleans, Eldredge Park has a lot to love, including a long history as the home of the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League. There’s more to Eldredge Park than baseball, however, as the space has evolved over the years to keep up with modern activities and pastimes.

In 1913, a man named Louis Winslow “Win” Eldredge donated a large plot of land to the town of Orleans to develop a playground for children. A baseball diamond was also added to the original park, and in 1928, Orleans was awarded a team in the Cape Cod Baseball League. The park quickly became a gathering place for locals, and since it was close to the transatlantic telegraph station, news from Europe arrived quickly during the 1920s and 30s. When the baseball diamond was first constructed, the home plate was where the left-field corner sits today. A major renovation completed in 1967 created the current alignment, and Eldredge Park became one of the top minor league baseball fields in the entire country. More improvements would follow in the coming years, with night games being made possible through the addition of lights in 1979, and the viewing experience improved with a hillside terrace in the mid-1980s.

Although the baseball diamond gets the attention, particularly in the summer, there’s a lot more to Eldredge Park than that. For starters, the park features a playground beyond the left-field fence. This play area has a covered gazebo and picnic tables, providing the amenities needed to spend a few hours enjoying the summer weather. There are three tennis courts beside the playground, as well, so parents can play a match or two while their children use the slides and swings. The west side of the park features soccer fields, more baseball diamonds, and additional tennis courts. Local youth leagues and the students of Nauset Middle School are frequent users of these grounds. Just south of the secondary fields is Finch Skatepark, which provides an excellent place for skateboarders to practice their craft in a safe environment.