Pynchon Park

Pynchon Park, also known as Hampden Park and League Park, was a sports venue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1853 by the Hampden Agricultural Society and was destroyed by fire in 1966.

The venue hosted various events, including horse racing, bicycle racing, and college football (including several editions of the Harvard–Yale football rivalry). It also served as home grounds for the minor league baseball team primarily known as the Springfield Ponies.

Hampden Park
In 1853 the Hampden Agricultural Society paid $15,405 for the land on the site with the intention of creating a venue for the National Trotting Organization to hold its meetings. However the facilities were then used for a broader range of recreational activities. With the advent of the American Civil War, Hampden Park was used as a muster point for the 10th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. The 46th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment – which was primarily recruited in Hampden County

In 1885 and 1896, cycling's hour record was unofficially broken multiple times at Hampden Park.

Renamed in 1940 for early settler William Pynchon, but the park came down in a blaze on the sixties.

The Hampden Park Blood Bath
Hampden Park provided a neutral site in between Cambridge and New Haven suitable for the annual Harvard-Yale game between 1889 and 1894. However the match played on 1894 led to such violence and injury that the match was suspended for two years. It subsequently became known as the Hampden Park Blood Bath, also known as the Springfield Massacre.