Rhode Island Filmmaker Shares What Abandoned McCoy Stadium Looks Like Today
If you grew up in Rhode Island, McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket has a special place in your heart.
After the last pitch was thrown in 2019, McCoy Stadium has sat vacant, wilting away with only sweet memories left.
Woonsocket native Jason Allard is a video production manager who spent his younger years enjoying hot dogs and ice cream out of baseball hat cups at McCoy. Through his popular Youtube Series, Abandoned from Above, he gave McCoy Stadium the spotlight it deserves, bringing back to life the wonderful memories that were born there.
Who Is Jason Allard?
At 33 years old, Jason Allard has made a career in video production as the senior video production manager for a production studio in Needham. His passion project, however, has garnered over 20,000 followers thanks to his series.
Through extensive research, Allard documents historic places in the area and shows people why they deserve our attention and respect. From his abandoned middle school in Woonsocket to Chopmist Hill in Scituate, which was an intelligence hub during World War II, Allard dives deep into the rich history of these forgotten places and proves that their stories are worth sharing.
The Abandoned McCoy Stadium
While Allard typically looks forward to covering abandoned places, McCoy Stadium was the first location that stung his inner child.
“When I found out that (the team) was moving up to Worcester, I was disappointed that I had another place to cover,” he said. “It’s special to a lot of people.”
Allard's favorite memory of McCoy is all too familiar for many of us.
“I was in sixth grade and went for the fireworks,” he said. “There was a game beforehand, there was that beautiful golden sunset, the whole family was there, we were eating the ice cream out of the baseball caps, we had the hot dogs. ... It was a classic summer night. It was one of those perfect memories.”
As a Rhode Island native, I had my fair share of PawSox hot dogs. I spent my time fishing for autographs and lowering down my container to the embedded dugout, hoping one of the players would sign my baseball and send it back up.
McCoy Stadium was a place of happiness, and Allard wanted to make sure people knew about its rich history.
The History of McCoy Stadium
In a compelling episode of his popular Youtube series, Allard breaks down the rich history of McCoy Stadium, before the PawSox became the WooSox and when Pawtucket was the social setting for summer nights in Rhode Island.
“Lots of people didn’t know the full history of McCoy,” Allard said. “To know what made it so special in the first place, the history there, and what Ben Mondor (the previous owner) did, it’s just an all-around appreciation for what’s around us.”
Thanks to his impressive research, Allard uncovered footage from the very first game at McCoy, he shared the legacy of “The Prince of Pawtucket” and “The Rhode Island Saint" and gave viewers a glimpse of what McCoy Stadium looks like today.
Keep scrolling to take a stroll down memory lane and unlock some of your most sacred childhood moments.