Softball boomed in Chattanooga in the post-World War II era.
The accompanying photo is from the archives of the Chattanooga News-Free Press and shows the newly improved Optimist Field in St. Elmo, which was dedicated in 1948.
At that point, it was one of 10 city-maintained softball fields with lights for night play, according to news reports. The name Optimist Field came from the Optimist civic club.
(READ MORE: The Incline Drug Store in St. Elmo was a landmark business.)
A sign in the photo says the field was improved in partnership between the Optimist Club of St. Elmo and the city of Chattanooga's recreation department. The field was on the property of the then-Lookout Junior High School.
The concession stand at the new ballpark offered hot dogs for 10 cents and cold drinks for 7 cents (or a nickle if you brought the bottle back for a 2-cent refund). Also on the menu were popcorn, peanuts and ice cream. Signs for a rodeo at Engel Stadium in coming days covered the outside of the concession stand.
On June 3, 1948, the renovated ballpark was officially dedicated and hosted two games, one pitting the St. Elmo Baptists and St. Elmo Methodists in a fastpitch game, and the other featuring the St. Elmo Optimists and St. Elmo Methodists slowpitch teams. A concert by Tennessee Products Co. band was also part of the dedication festivities.
(READ MORE: Three women, over 200 years of softball experience.)
The next day, the city's newspapers provided coverage of the game.
"St. Elmo Baptists shoved across a tiebreaking run in the last of the seventh inning with two outs last night to win the Optimist Field dedication game," the News-Free Press reported.
The Optimist Field continued to show up in newspaper reports through the 1960s. In the mid-1960s, it was the site of a yearly Optimist Club barbecue.
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Remember When, Chattanooga? is published on Saturdays. Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645.