On the ground level of Posvar Hall, there is one section where instead of the brown brick floor,… On the ground level of Posvar Hall, there is one section where instead of the brown brick floor, there is a glass case with a home plate inside.

While the plate hasn’t been used for a while, it’s still dirty. Posvar Hall was built on the ground where Forbes Field used to be, and the plate displayed is one that was used at the stadium. Part of the brick wall from left field also still stands across the street.

Forbes Field, best known as home to the Pittsburgh Pirates, was built in 1909 and celebrated its 100 anniversary on June 30.

Anne Madarasz, director of the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, recently spoke about the Pittsburgh landmark at the John Heinz History Center, which opened an exhibit housing memorabilia from the stadium.

“Forbes Field has a lot of Pirates history, but was a place that was remembered for more than just baseball,” she said.

Not only did the Pirates play there, but the park was also a home to both Pitt and Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon) football teams, which were both nationally ranked at the time.

The Pitt football team had five undefeated seasons at Forbes Field before moving to Pitt Stadium in 1924. It was also the first home field for the Pittsburgh Steelers professional franchise in 1933. On top of all that, the park also hosted heavyweight boxing matches, music concerts and other cultural events.

The exhibit, which runs until Nov. 8, houses items such as Euthumn Napier’s 1940’s Homestead Grays home uniform, Ezra Charles’ trunks from a heavyweight boxing championship fight, a game ticket from opening day in 1909, a Willie Stargell Louisville Slugger bat, construction photographs from architect Charles Leavitt during the building of Forbes Field, the pitching rubber from the 1960 World Series and much more.

“Some of the material here is very rare and has never been seen elsewhere,” Madarasz said. “Most of which came from people’s basements, attics or garages.”

When building the park, Oakland was an up-and-coming neighborhood in Pittsburgh that was rapidly growing culturally. Barney Dreyfuss, owner of the Pirates at the time, made sure to keep ticket prices reasonable, and opening day drew approximately 30,338 fans.

One reason for the high attendance was the easy transportation. The ballpark was the first to build an underground parking garage for automobiles. Trolleys allowed easy access for fans to come in from all points of the city. Many fans also climbed Monument Hill, a nearby spot to watch the games from a birds-eye view.

Another reason people flocked to Oakland for Pirates games was because Forbes Field is considered the first modern ballpark. The new features included ramps, elevators, box seats, public telephones, special sod field and fire-proof seats. Forbes Field was also the first stadium with padded outfield walls and a fireworks night.

If 1909 doesn’t seem that long ago just yet, Forbes Field also filled up because the Pirates were actually a top-notch team. When the park opened in 1909 the Pirates were a powerhouse club that went on to win the World Series in its first year in the new stadium. The Pirates won two more World Series’ while playing at Forbes Field, in 1925 and 1960.

The Chicago Cubs, the defending World Series champions, beat the Pirates 3-2 in Forbes Fields’ first game. But don’t be angry at the Cubs for ruining the opening festivities. They still haven’t won the World Series since 1908.