Historic Richardson Stadium in Glasgow burns down

GLASGOW, Ky.-Richardson Stadium has been home to thousands of victories and life lessons that still live on in Glasgow.

“We had people this morning, whether it be players from 20 years ago or two years ago, stopping by to check on the stadium, it’s amazing how many lives have been touched by ball games,” said Glasgow Fire Chief William Rock. 

Much of the stadium is now ash after an early morning fire. 

“There’s really not even words to describe what I’m feeling right now. It hasn’t really sunk in just yet,” said Glasgow Parks and Recreation Director Eddie Furlong. 

The Glasgow Fire Department responded to a call at 1:46 a.m. about a bleacher fire. 

When they arrived, firefighters found that most of the stadium was on fire.

“The majority of the stadium is burnt down. The whole center of the concession stand and the main center part, we still have some bleachers on the left and the dugout on the right, but it’s pretty much gone,” said Rock. 

They extinguished the fire by 3 a.m. and were putting out hotspots until 6 a.m. 

The State Fire Marshal says the cause of the fire is electrical.

The stadium, built in 1957, was a fixture in the community.

“For something to be as old as that place is, the kind of condition it still was in, says a lot about the people who took care of that place,” said the voice of the Glasgow Scotties Joe Myers. 

And it holds a lot of memories for the generations of people who visited.

“So many people in this community have spent many, many days, weeks, hours there, either working in concessions if you’re a parent, playing baseball obviously if you’re a player, spectator, parents, grandparents that watch ball games,” said Myers. 

The future of the stadium is uncertain, but Glasgow citizens have high hopes the piece of history can be rebuilt.

“It’s still early in the process obviously, but we’re gonna see what we can do to get it restored to even a fraction of what it was,” said Furlong.