The St. Louis Cardinals and local children in front of the YMCA building on High Street, Metuchen, July 1936. *Photo Courtesy of Thomas Francis Clark

Some of you saw a film called “Field of Dreams.” This took place on a farm and a cornfield in Iowa.

You probably say, “It was a good film, but it was not true an could not happen anywhere.”

You are right when you say the story was not true but you are wrong when saying it could not happen anywhere because it happened in your own backyard.

The true Field of Dreams begins on State Street in Perth Amboy, NJ. That’s where my family (The Clarks) and the Regan family lived. My father and Edward (Blackie) Regan graduated from Perth Amboy High School together. Regan excelled in baseball and played semi-pro baseball for many years.

In 1928, both the Clark and Regan families decided to move to the farmlands in Metuchen. My Dad and Blackie were World War I Vets and were members of the American Legion in Metuchen. Regan was getting too old to play the game so he decided to form and manage a team of his own. He had a good semi-pro team but all of his games were on the road because Metuchen had no baseball field. My father and Blackie Regan went to every Legion Meeting together so I know this part is true because I’ve heard it from my mother and father, plus Mrs. Nick Regan who was one of my mom’s best friends.

One evening at a Legion Meeting, Regan raised his hand and said, “I have a good Metuchen baseball club, but I need a home field to play on,” Regan added, “If you build me a field, I’ll bring the best Semi-Pro Teams to play here.”

Everyone at the meeting liked the idea and the Fugle Hummer Post built this field. They called it, “The American Legion Field,” and it was located on Durham Ave. Yes my friends, they built it and they did come. Regan got semi-pro and minor league teams to play in Metuchen. Edward Blackie Regan created a true Field of Dreams when he invited the St. Louis Cardinals to play in Metuchen. St. Louis accepted his offer and on Monday, July 20, 1936 at 9 p.m. the Metuchen Baseball Club played the St. Louis Cardinals. Metuchen won that game 10-7.

Rev. George Humphries was our neighbor and was pastor of the Presbyterian Church. His son, Bud pitched that game. He was 26 years old and graduated from Metuchen High School. He must have been a good pitcher, because several Yankee farm teams wanted him.

St. Louis had won the World Series in 1934 and were up there again in 1936. The Cards had seven Hall of Famers on that team. They were Johnny Mize, Jesse Haines, Joe Ducky Medwick, Paul Dizzy Dean, Leo Durocher, Walter Alston and Manger Frankie Frisch & Joe Medwick from Carteret. He hit 64 doubles that season. This is still a National League record. I think Bill Campbell was a member of the American Legion and owned Legion Field. He sold it to the Borough of Metuchen in 1944. Campbell School was built there in 1952. I pitched on the Field of Dreams before the Korean War.

I want to thank everyone that helped me put this article together. May God bless all of you.

– Thomas Francis Clark