Foul Ball Traditional Cache

Comstock Park was built by the Comstock Cheney Company. A young employee went to the Board of Directors and suggested starting a baseball them to raise morale and promote pride in their work and team. After much discussion they decided to build a baseball diamond in the woods south of the factory. Work began in the spring of 1913. The team played games there but construction continued through 1914.

The Board of Directors named the young employee team manager and gave him a blank check to get the best ball players he could find to build a team. He found players and convinced them to take jobs in the shop. Holding these jobs depended much more on what they did on the team than their efficiency in the shop.

The Comstock Nine became a team that succeeded. In 1916, they booked 20 games with the best teams in the state and some teams from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Their best year was 1917 when thay won the state championship. World War I put an end to baseball in 1918. In 1919, they attempted to start again but the team had been broken up. Before the 1920 season, the team manager was ill and they had no one to replace him. Also, business conditions made it impossible for the company to give the team financial support.

In 1937, the company sold the field to the town of Essex for $1. Since then it has been used by various Essex teams. The field has changed its look over the years, but it is still used by the town today. Some might remember the actual dugouts that had stairs leading downward to the benches. To learn more about the early days of baseball in Ivoryton, please see the Sep 12, 2017 article in the ShoreLine Times.

Only a foul ball would venture to these coordinates without some incentive. In fact, someone seeking to find said foul ball might give up before getting all the way to this spot. This cache is well blended into its environment. Do note the difficulty level of the cache. The goal here is to provide a challenge for those who enjoy challenges and enjoy finding caches with higher ratings, so do not cry "foul." It is not for those seeking a quick park & grab cache. Do please take care not to give any hints as to maintain the difficulty level and provide a good challenge for others who decide to seek this geocache.