HISTORICALLY St. Pete w/Rui Farias, St. Petersburg Museum of History: Al Lang - The Man & The Land
Season 2, Episode 838, Jun 20, 07:36 PM
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In this episode of HISTORICALLY St. Pete, executive director Rui Farias, St. Petersburg Museum of History (SPMOH) shares the back story of Al Lang - The Man & The Land. SPMOH is dedicated to preserving the history of St. Petersburg, and Al Lang was a significant figure in the city's development, particularly in the realm of baseball and tourism. He was instrumental in bringing spring training to St. Petersburg, which had a lasting impact on the city's identity. Baseball history is a huge part of the museum's exhibition and tours. LEARN MORE here.
ABOUT THIS EPISODE With Tropicana Field and the Gas Plant area consistently in the news, and now a potential new owner for the Tampa Bay Rays, I thought it would be fun to have a look at how professional baseball got its start here. And to do that, we have to talk about Albert Fielding Lang. Whether he was known as Mr. Baseball or Mr. Tourism, there would be only one Al Lang in St. Petersburg’s history. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1870, Al Lang had three loves – his wife, baseball and “Spetersburg” as he called it on Lowell Thomas’ world-famous radio show. Lang quit school and went to work in a laundry at the age of 14. He lived at a hotel that doubled as the visiting team hotel of anyone coming to town to play the Pirates, so naturally he befriended dozens of Major League Baseball players and managers. His mother once told Al Lang that he would amount to nothing if he kept hanging around swearing, tobacco-chewing, whiskey-drinking ball players. Those players would later make him a legend. By 1895 he had opened his own laundry and was on his way to a wealthy life. On his 39th birthday, his doctor told him he was dying of a respiratory illness and only had six months to live. So, he did what every ill person did at the beginning of the 20th century, he married his long-time sweetheart, packed their bags and headed to Florida – his destination was Ft. Myers, where Thomas Edison and Henry Ford took up winter residence.
On the way, Lang and his wife Katherine – who reportedly had more jewels than a princess – visited St. Petersburg and within four days, purchased a home on Beach Drive. Nothing short of a miracle, Lang’s illness disappeared after a year in St. Petersburg, and he went to work to transform this quaint little fishing village to a tourist-driven city." Tune in to hear the rest of this amazing story!
. Photo seen here: On March 12, 1947, Al Lang Field opened in St. Petersburg, replacing Waterfront Park. Named after former Mayor Al Lang, the city’s "Ambassador to Baseball," the stadium's dedication drew stars like Grantland Rice and Commissioner Happy Chandler. 7,706 fans watched the Cardinals beat the Yankees 10-5.
Want to know more about Al Lang? Read this article about Al Lang in Northeast Journal.
#allang #allangfield #stpetemayor #historicallystpete #ruifarias #stpetersburgmuseumofhistory
ABOUT THIS EPISODE With Tropicana Field and the Gas Plant area consistently in the news, and now a potential new owner for the Tampa Bay Rays, I thought it would be fun to have a look at how professional baseball got its start here. And to do that, we have to talk about Albert Fielding Lang. Whether he was known as Mr. Baseball or Mr. Tourism, there would be only one Al Lang in St. Petersburg’s history. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1870, Al Lang had three loves – his wife, baseball and “Spetersburg” as he called it on Lowell Thomas’ world-famous radio show. Lang quit school and went to work in a laundry at the age of 14. He lived at a hotel that doubled as the visiting team hotel of anyone coming to town to play the Pirates, so naturally he befriended dozens of Major League Baseball players and managers. His mother once told Al Lang that he would amount to nothing if he kept hanging around swearing, tobacco-chewing, whiskey-drinking ball players. Those players would later make him a legend. By 1895 he had opened his own laundry and was on his way to a wealthy life. On his 39th birthday, his doctor told him he was dying of a respiratory illness and only had six months to live. So, he did what every ill person did at the beginning of the 20th century, he married his long-time sweetheart, packed their bags and headed to Florida – his destination was Ft. Myers, where Thomas Edison and Henry Ford took up winter residence.
On the way, Lang and his wife Katherine – who reportedly had more jewels than a princess – visited St. Petersburg and within four days, purchased a home on Beach Drive. Nothing short of a miracle, Lang’s illness disappeared after a year in St. Petersburg, and he went to work to transform this quaint little fishing village to a tourist-driven city." Tune in to hear the rest of this amazing story!
. Photo seen here: On March 12, 1947, Al Lang Field opened in St. Petersburg, replacing Waterfront Park. Named after former Mayor Al Lang, the city’s "Ambassador to Baseball," the stadium's dedication drew stars like Grantland Rice and Commissioner Happy Chandler. 7,706 fans watched the Cardinals beat the Yankees 10-5.
Want to know more about Al Lang? Read this article about Al Lang in Northeast Journal.
#allang #allangfield #stpetemayor #historicallystpete #ruifarias #stpetersburgmuseumofhistory