Recently, the city recently unveiled a life-size bronze statue of Greenville's most famous major leaguer at Shoeless Joe Jackson Plaza, not far from the park. The plaza, located at the intersection of Augusta, South Main and Pendleton streets, lies directly in the middle of the West End District, the area where Joe Jackson lived, played and died.

The park, owned and operated by the Greenville County Recreation District, is the result of a partnership between the Recreation District and the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority. The Greenville County Recreation District acquired the deed to the 7.188-acre property through a donation by Richard Heusel, owner of KM Fabrics.

Groundbreaking ceremonies were held October 27, 1994. The initial project included reorienting and rebuilding the original playing field, including dugouts, the addition of fencing, parking, restrooms, a paved walkway, and historical signage.

Community efforts play a major role in the progress of the park. School groups help with beautification projects and larger, well-funded groups have raised funds and volunteered hundreds of hours of labor to construct a picnic shelter, a playground, and have lent a hand with additional landscaping.

The park has become one of the most popular attractions in Greenville. People who enjoy baseball, its history and memorabilia are particularly drawn to it, but its magic goes far beyond hard-core baseball fans.

Joseph Jefferson Jackson was born July 16, 1887 in Pickens County, but during his infancy, his family moved to Greenville. Although he was too young to work in the mill, by the age of 13 he was playing on the Brandon Mill baseball team. Legend has it that every time he hit a homerun, his brothers would pass the hat through the stands; on a good day, they would collect as much as $25.

Joe Jackson never liked his "Shoeless" nickname, but it stuck. During the one and only game that he played in his stocking feet (he had just gotten new cleats that had rubbed blisters on his feet, so he wasn't wearing his shoes during a game in which he had not expected to play), a boisterous fan yelled at Jackson from the stands, "You shoeless son of a �gun," as he rounded third (turns out, he did have to play that day). Scoop Latimer, a reporter for The Greenville News, heard the fan, reported it in the paper, and the rest is history. He was "Shoeless" Joe from then on.

From the Brandon Mill team, Jackson moved on to the Victor Mill team at the age of 19 and then to the South Atlantic League's Greenville Spinners. The legendary and charismatic Connie Mack, then with the Philadelphia Athletics, coaxed Jackson up north, where his professional baseball career, although successful on the field, did not get off to a happy start. Jackson did not get along with his teammates and was unhappy in Philadelphia, so Mack traded him to Cleveland, where he settled in and played from 1910-15. During his rookie year, he slugged his way to a .408 batting average, a record that still stands today. His talent in the outfield was equally outstanding. He earned a reputation for never letting a ball get past him; his glove became "the place that triples go to die."

In 1916, Jackson was traded to the Chicago White Sox; 1917 brought a World Series Championship. Jackson was riding the crest of a stellar career, and then disaster struck. Although none of the evidence that was submitted in the case ever implicated Joe Jackson, he, along with eight others, were hit with lifetime bans from professional baseball following the scandal that surrounded the 1919 World Series. Several gamblers and baseball players were involved in a scheme to have the White Sox throw the Series, but Joe Jackson never complied with any other their plans and never accepted any money. It is true that he knew about the plot, but all of his actions on the field directly contradict any involvement in throwing the Series. In fact, Jackson had a brilliant Series, batting well above his regular season average and committing NO errors in the field for the entire Series. In direct contradiction of the facts, then-baseball commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis banned him from the game for life. To this day, Major League Baseball has not corrected the wrong that was done by reversing the earlier decision and inducting Joe Jackson into the Hall of Fame.

Jackson returned to Greenville's West End and quietly resumed his life here. He and his wife, Katie, lived on East Wilburn Street and Joe operated a liquor store on Pendleton Street until his death. Joe Jackson died December 5, 1951, leaving with us a lifetime batting average of .356, the third best all-time average (behind Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby).

Joe Jackson is buried beside his wife in Woodlawn Memorial Park.

Shoeless Joe Jackson Memorial Park is open daily from daylight to dusk. A trip to the park is easy to do and thoroughly enjoyable. To get to the park, take I-385 into Greenville. Turn right on 123 (Academy Street) and continue about 4 miles to Pendleton Street; turn right. Drive through the Historic West Greenville neighborhood where Joe Jackson spent his childhood and played for the Brandon Mill team. Turn left on Bryant Street and take an immediate left on West Avenue. The park is at the intersection of West Avenue and Osteen Street.

(photos provided by Recreation District of Greenville County.)

all contents copyright © 1999, greenville.com. contact: [email protected] or 828.253.2880
For listing and advertising information...