Richmond's Mayo Island used to be a famous baseball stadium

September 19, 2025 · 3:42 read

Category: Arts & Culture

Show: Unscripted RVA

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/8FvMKJyv224 Got thoughts? Send us a text here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2513071/open_sms Richmond just bought Mayo Island for $15 millio

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/8FvMKJyv224

Got thoughts? Send us a text here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/2513071/open_sms

Richmond just bought Mayo Island for $15 million—and the plan is to tear out the parking lots and warehouses and turn the island into a public park with paths, trees, and places to actually linger. Hidden in that asphalt is a century-old story: a baseball stadium in the middle of the James River where the Richmond Colts played, big-league clubs visited, and local lore claims Babe Ruth (or Lou Gehrig?) once launched a home run into a passing train car.

From a ballpark that operated as home for the Richmond Colts and stood from 1890–1941 (capacity ~6,000, frequent floods, grandstand fire; even hosted University of Richmond football for a stretch) to a modern push for green space that links Mayo Island to the ongoing Brown's Island riverfront boardwalk buildout.

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