View highlights from Kelly Field historical marker dedication ceremony in Daytona Beach
With the support of the City of Daytona Beach and the Volusia County-Daytona Beach Branch of the NAACP, SABR’s Central Florida Chapter installed a commemorative marker on October 23, 2022, at the site of Kelly Field, where Jackie Robinson and John Wright integrated spring training with the Montreal Royals in 1946, in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Kelly Field’s role in the integration of baseball has long been overlooked and ignored. Located in the midst of one of the two predominantly African American sections of Daytona Beach, Kelly Field was the centerpiece of the Black community. Now an empty lot encompassing a retention pond, the site where the Royals practiced and an entire community gathered to watch and play baseball was unmarked and nearly lost to history.
Thanks to a Local Grant from SABR, the plaque was unveiled for the first time as part of a ceremony honoring the event at the Midtown Cultural Center in Daytona Beach. SABR CEO Scott Bush was on hand for the celebration.
Click here to watch the full dedication ceremony, courtesy of the City of Daytona Beach:
Click here to watch a video of the marker unveiling at Kelly Field:
Click here to view a photo gallery from the ceremony at Flickr.com. Images provided by Robert Edwards and the City of Daytona Beach.
- Read more: Ken Willis: Jackie Robinson’s spring of ’46 at Daytona’s Kelly Field will be officially recognized (Daytona Beach News-Journal)
- Read more: Andreas Butler: Historic marker for iconic baseball players unveiled at Kelly Field (Daytona Times)
Originally published: October 27, 2022. Last Updated: October 28, 2022.