Dedication made, anniversary celebrated at Doubleday Field
By Greg Klein • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
COOPERSTOWN — More than 100 people celebrated baseball and paid tribute to the longtime caretaker of Doubleday Field on Monday, Sept. 6, in a special anniversary celebration and memorial dedication.
Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh made note of the "Doubleday myth," which claimed the first game of baseball was played on a cow pasture in Cooperstown.
"We now know that is a myth created by the Mills Commission," she said, "but what we're here to celebrate today is the creation of Doubleday Field and there is no myth about that."
The village also dedicated a bench outside the stadium to Joe Harris, the former Doubleday Field supervisor and town of Middlefield supervisor, who died May 25. Harris worked for the village from 1979 to 2021, taking care of Doubleday for most of that time.
