Hank Aaron hammered home runs in Jacksonville in 1953; what do we know of him then?

Scott Butler, Florida Times-Union
·3 min read
Henry Aaron straddles second base for a photo as a member of the Jacksonville Braves in 1953.
Henry Aaron straddles second base for a photo as a member of the Jacksonville Braves in 1953.
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Feb. 5 is the birth date — in 1934 to be exact — of baseball’s most prolific home run hitter before the steroids era tainted the game.

Hank Aaron blasted 755 homers in his major league career, most notably No. 715 on April 8, 1974, to break the record of the legendary Babe Ruth.

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A picture of the 1953 Jacksonville Braves team includes Hank Aaron, back row on the right end.
A picture of the 1953 Jacksonville Braves team includes Hank Aaron, back row on the right end.

Long before that, he was one of a handful of Black players who made a different kind of history by breaking the color barrier in the South Atlantic League when he joined the Jacksonville Braves in 1953.

He met his first wife, Barbara Lucas, at what is now The Oaks at Durkeeville. He and fellow trailblazer teammates Felix Mantilla and Horace Garner stayed at 1145 W. Eighth St., home of Manuel Rivera who owned Manuel’s Tap Room on Ashely Street in Lavilla.

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Ron Salem, a member of the Jacksonville City Council and a fan of Hank Aaron since he was a child, shows off some of his memorabilia that he started as a kid. He's photographed on Jan. 27, 2021, in the museum at James P. Small Park that explores the history of the Negro League and its connection to the city. Aaron played there during the 1953 season. After the baseball legend's recent death, Salem successfully proposed to name the field after him.

Following Aaron’s death two years ago at age 86, City Councilman Ron Salem proposed naming the baseball field at J.P. Small Park in Durkeeville in honor of Aaron. That is where Aaron and the Jacksonville Braves played home games in 1953 when it was called Durkee Field.

It was only one season, but it was certainly a prelude to what was to become for Hammerin’ Hank. The Braves won the championship with Aaron slugging 22 homers, knocking in 125 runs and batting .362 as the league’s MVP, according to Times-Union archives.

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Henry "Hank" Aaron signs autographs at a Jacksonville Suns banquet to honor him at the George Washington Hotel in 1970.
Henry "Hank" Aaron signs autographs at a Jacksonville Suns banquet to honor him at the George Washington Hotel in 1970.

"Hank only played here briefly, but if you read his book, he mentions Jacksonville all the time,” Salem told the TU in a Feb. 1, 2021, story. “He doesn't speak very highly of how he was treated here, but hopefully this will be a step in the right direction."

The team's success wasn’t enough to escape the discriminatory Jim Crow laws that ruled the South. On the road, Aaron and his Black teammates could not stay in the same hotel as the rest of the team or eat at the same restaurants. In some cities, they couldn't even spend the night.

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Tommie Aaron, who played and coached in the major league as well, stands in front of a sign honoring his brother Hank at Jacksonville's Wolfson Baseball Park in 1975.
Tommie Aaron, who played and coached in the major league as well, stands in front of a sign honoring his brother Hank at Jacksonville's Wolfson Baseball Park in 1975.

The park off Myrtle Avenue is named after the Stanton High School baseball coach James P. "Bubbling" Small, who was instrumental in organizing the first North-South All-Star football and basketball games for Blacks, according to a Jacksonville Free Press story.

On April 13, 2021, the City Council unanimously approved the name "Henry L. Aaron Field at J.P. Small Memorial Stadium." But the surprise was one of Aaron’s sons, Lary, calling the council during the session. Councilman Reggie Gaffney has been friends with him since they played baseball together at Florida A&M University, and he arranged the call.

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Atlanta Braves former third baseman Chipper Jones (left) shakes hands with Hall of Fame outfielder Hank Aaron prior to the first MLB game at SunTrust Park in Atlanta on April 14, 2017. Aaron died on Jan. 21, 2021, at the age of 86. Jones, who played baseball at The Bolles School of Jacksonville, would later be inducted into the Hall of Fame himself in 2018.

"Number one, it's an honor. My father played baseball there. He met my mother in Jacksonville, so that's why I'm here now," Lary Aaron said with a chuckle. “… I love what you're doing and it's kind of emotional for me because he's not here now. I’d like to thank all of you from the heart."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Hank Aaron made another kind of history in Jacksonville in 1953