On March 12, 1925, the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Philadelphia Athletics 6-3 in what was called the “Philadelphia City Championship”—even though the game took place at Terry Park Ballfield in Fort Myers. It was the start of what’s become a tradition of spring training baseball in Lee County.

Terry Park, named after the family who donated land to the county, had previously hosted minor league games and the county fair. But in 1923, plans got underway to lure the Philadelphia A’s away from their spring training site in Alabama. A’s owner and manager Connie Mack provided the specs himself for an ideal facility, including a grandstand that could seat 1,500 people. In addition, the local Kiwanis Club gave the A’s $6,000 once they committed to the move.

About two weeks after that first game, Babe Ruth arrived in Fort Myers on loan from the Yankees to play for the A’s against a minor league team. Almost 5,000 fans crowded the facilities to see the Great Bambino ground out twice and walk.

The Athletics moved on in 1936, but the Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals all spent springs in Terry Park. Legendary players including Roberto Clemente, Bob Feller and George Brett all played there. Thomas Edison was once said to have taken batting practice with the A’s and hit a ball so hard it knocked over Hall of Famer Ty Cobb.

The Royals moved their operations to Haines City in 1988, ending Terry Field’s reign as a spring training hub. But in 1991, the Minnesota Twins started playing in Hammond Stadium, and City of Palms Park hosted the Boston Red Sox starting in 1993 before the team moved into JetBlue Park at Fenway South. Spring training still thrives in Fort Myers.