CLEMENS FIELD
Named after Samuel Clemens, who used the pseudonym Mark Twain and lived in Hannibal, Clemens Field was built in 1938 as Works Project Administration (WPA) project to replace the city's previous ballpark that burned down two years earlier.
In 2008, the ballpark underwent extensive renovations totaling $3.3 million to preserve the original grandstand and stone perimeter wall, added more than 2,500 seats and updated the entire ballpark with modern amenities. The renovations received the Preserve Missouri Award from Missouri Preservation and was honored at the State Capital in 2010.
In 2012, a new scoreboard and press box were added, followed by the Jake Beckley .308 Gate in the left field corner. The gate was named after the Baseball Hall of Fame player from Hannibal. The grandstand roof was replaced in 2016.
Clemens Field is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was used for minor league baseball teams, including the Hannibal Citizens (1955); Hannibal Cardinals (1953–1954); Hannibal Stags (1952) and Hannibal Pilots (1947–48) of the Mississippi-Ohio Valley League (1952–1955) and Central Association (1947–1948), the two leagues that simply changed names and were the direct predecessors of the Midwest League. Hannibal teams were affiliates of the St Louis Cardinals (1953–1954) and St Louis Browns (1947).
In 1944, the stadium was used as a German prisoner-of-war camp. The 200 POW's lived in tents, were surrounded by barbed wire and sorted military shoes for repair and reuse.
Clemens Field was used infrequently after minor league baseball left Hannibal in 1955. After renovations in 2008, the Hannibal Cavemen made the stadium home until the team ceased operations following the 2016 season.
The Hannibal Hoots, a new Prospect League team will call the historic ballpark home and play in the league's West Division with Danville (IL), Lafayette (IN), Quincy (IL), Springfield (IL), and Terre Haute (IN).
