A rare item found on the grounds of old Abbott Field on King Hill has brought excitement to the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame.
The item is a silver cigarette lighter that is believed to have belonged to Jack Abbott, for whom Abbott Field was named.
On one side, there is an inscription that reads: “J.H. Abbott From 1947 Baseball Club.” On the other side are the initials “J.H.A.”
The lighter was found by Justin Kisser, a Battleford resident. He uses a metal detector to look for coins or other memorabilia hidden underneath the ground.
He and a cousin have been using the metal detector as a hobby over the past three years. The motivation has been primarily historical in nature. Kisser has approached various organizations around the community, including schools as well as Town Hall, and received their permission to use his detector to look for all kinds of buried treasures on grounds in the area.
The items he’s unearthed include a half-dime, a penny from 1918, a “3139 North Battleford” tag, an old pocket watch, a sewing thimble, and even bullets from Fort Battleford. In an interview with the Regional Optimist, he even showed off a button from the old North West Mounted Police that was found.
“We rescue relics,” said Kisser of what he does.
But when he unearthed the cigarette lighter, he was particularly excited.
It was a notable find as it belonged to an era when baseball was “the” sport for local residents to see in the Battlefords. It was especially notable because of where it was found, and the inscriptions on it.
According to the article The History of Abbott Field by Les Dean, Abbott Field was built in 1946 to replace the former ball diamond in the area where the Don Ross Centre is now located.
The new ballpark was located at the top of King Hill, which offered spectators a view not only of the ball diamond but the spectacular North Saskatchewan River valley.
According to Jane Shury, from the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame, the baseball park was named for Jack Abbott in recognition of his key role in pushing for the new field to be built and in convincing the City of North Battleford to put up the money for it.
Once established, Abbott Field would continue to see improvements. A high board fence came in 1949, a grandstand in 1950, and a bleacher was constructed down the first base line in 1951.
The field hosted the North Battleford Beavers, who joined the Saskatoon and District Baseball League in 1947. That particular team, which consisted of almost all local players, had an outstanding season and went on to the league finals, but lost to Delisle in the final game played in Saskatoon.
It would have been that 1947 ball club who presented the silver cigarette lighter to Abbott.
Unfortunately, Jack Abbott was not around to see the glory years of the Beavers in the stadium that was named for him. He died on June 12, 1950. The Beavers would go on to become a powerhouse team, and the ballpark was a main social attraction for Battlefords residents in those days prior to the arrival of television.
Kisser recalls Shury telling him that, in those days, going to a ball game was what people would do to find their dates.
“There was no Internet... they’d come to a ball game, they’d come there and buy pop, wander around. It was pretty significant, I guess, for that era.”
“That’s what happened all over the province. That’s why baseball played such an important role in the settling of the province, because – hockey in winter, baseball in summer,” said Shury. “You just went there because you might find your boyfriend, or you might find your girlfriend.”
Abbott Field continued to be the home of baseball activity and a meeting place for citizens in North Battleford until June 29, 1966.
A plaque, in remembrance of Abbott Field, now stands on King Hill not far from where the ballpark stood.
Last month Kisser took his metal-detector machine to the old Abbott Field grounds to see if there were any coins or items hidden in the ground. He had approached the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame seeking some history on Abbott Field with the idea of using his metal detector in that area. Since the site has stood empty since 1966, it seemed like a prime location to find some items.
Three weeks later, he came back to the Hall of Fame to report his big find: the cigarette lighter.
While Kisser could not say exactly where the lighter was found in relation to where the baseball diamond would have been, he figures its general location might have been near to where the home plate was, likely around where the stands were.
Based on the inscriptions on the lighter and the initials, both Kisser and Shury are convinced the item definitely belonged to Abbott.
“They would have given him that because he started it; it’s his name on there and then it says it’s from the 1947 ball club,” said Kisser.
“It’s got his initials. I couldn’t believe it when I read it. When I dug it up I said ‘get out, it can’t be his lighter.’ That’s kind of remarkable.”
They believe the lighter was lost on the premises at some point between 1947 and when Abbott died in 1950.
Now, the lighter will be a permanent part of the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in Battleford, which includes pictures and other memorabilia of Abbott Field and the Beavers teams of that era.
“It was an amazing find and I am happy to donate it to the Baseball Hall of Fame,” said Kisser. “Instead of me keeping it, I think it’s going to be better for multiple people to look at it. It’s a piece of history that everybody should be able to see.”
Shury was pleased to accept the donation of the silver cigarette lighter by Kisser to the Hall of Fame.
“This is history. Anybody in North Battleford that ever attended or heard from their grandparents or whoever in the family that watched baseball on Abbott Field on King Hill, it would mean that, hey, there is a little piece of history that was found in 2017, after how many years of being underground,” said Shury.
She added, “Somewhere, it must have been lost between 1947, the year it was presented, and 1950 when Mr. Abbott died. So that’s been in the ground how many decades? That’s history. And because we are the museum and Hall of Fame for baseball history in Saskatchewan, that just adds to our collection.”
Now, Kisser looks forward to using his metal detector elsewhere around the Battlefords in search of historical items, and he welcomes any ideas or suggestions about where he should take his detector next.
Anyone interested in allowing Kisser to use the metal-detector on an old site, or who might simply need help finding a gold ring that may have been lost outside, can contact him at [email protected].
