April 18, 2012

Past Venue: Frankford Stadium

Philadelphia, PA
aka Yellow Jacket Field



Year opened: 1923
Capacity: 10,000 (approx.)

Names:
Frankford Stadium, 1923-33
Yellow Jacket Field (unofficial)

Pro football tenants:
Frankford Yellow Jackets (Ind./NFL), 1923-30

Postseason games hosted:
None

Other tenants of note:
None

Notes: Located at intersection of Frankford Avenue and Devereaux Street in the Frankford section of Philadelphia. The venue suffered damage due to, first, a fire and then a windstorm in 1929. Crowds for Yellow Jackets games were noted for their enthusiasm, helped by the participation of the Yellow Jackets Band and the Frankford Legion Post 211 Drum & Bugle Corps. Venue also used for midget and women’s football.

Fate: Severely damaged by a fire in 1931 (forcing the Yellow Jackets to play in other venues), the structure was demolished following purchase by the Frankford Legion Athletic Association in 1933 and rebuilt as Franklin Legion Athletic Field (later renamed Yellow Trojan Field). A car dealership and row homes have since been constructed on the site.  


[Updated 2/16/15]
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4 comments:

  1. John FentonApril 23, 2012 at 9:48 PM

    I stop by to check out your blog once a week or so, and always enjoy reading your posts. Especially the "olde tyme" & Philly related stories! Anyway, here are a few additional Frankford Stadium pics you might enjoy:

    The game day crowd outside Frankford Stadium...
    http://home.comcast.net/~ghostsofthegridiron/pic_yellowjacket_field_crowd_outside.jpg

    The Yellow Jackets faithful inside the stadium...
    http://home.comcast.net/~ghostsofthegridiron/pic_yellowjacket_field_crowd_inside.jpg

    And finally, a shot of the Frankford Stadium scoreboard...
    http://home.comcast.net/~ghostsofthegridiron/pic_yellowjacket_field_scoreboard.jpg

    Take a close look at the aerial and scoreboard photos. The aerial shot, snapped between 1923 & 1926, shows the posts on the goal line, while the scoreboard pic, taken in 1928, has them on the end line. That's due to an NFL rules change in effect from 1927 thru 1932.

    John Fenton
    http://home.comcast.net/~ghostsofthegridiron/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Keith YowellApril 24, 2012 at 7:12 AM

    Thanks for sharing the photos, John. I like your site as well!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Will MackerrasSeptember 27, 2019 at 4:38 PM

    This stadium was also used in the very final shot of the TV series 'Friday Night Lights'.

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  4. Mike MoranNovember 4, 2021 at 1:27 PM

    I've been researching this stadium (not to be confused with the existing stadium in Frankford) since my dad, Hap Moran, played for the Yellow Jackets in 1926/7. I recently visited the site and took some photos at the intersection of Frankford Avenue and Devereaux Street" I met a woman whose family lived there in the 1940s - she remembered the vacant lots before the row homes were built that are now on the site. But looking at an aerial survey of Philadelphia from 1930 I realize I greatly underestimated the size of the lot that surrounded the stadium. Looks to me like what is now Harbison Ave. went right through the center of the stadium so most of my pictures were of the vacant lot a little north and west of the actual stands. The actual location of the 50 yard line was at the intersection of two streets that didn't exist in 1930, Harbison Ave and Charles St. Here is a link to a photo of the stadium and surrounding lot from the 1930 aerial survey on a current Google map http://www.hapmoran.org/images/FYJ_Stadium.jpg

    ReplyDelete

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