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30-463: The stadium is located at 400 East Grainger Avenue in Kinston. The original structure was built by architect John J. Rowland in 1949 at a cost of US$ 170,000 inclusive of everything except the land. Bonds were issued to raised $ 150,000 of the necessary money. The name Grainger comes from the donor of half of the cost of the land on which it is situated, Jesse Willis Grainger. Located on Grainger Avenue, it

60-590: A family picnic area. Amenities include the Pirate Club fundraising and hospitality suite and a private suite for the LeClair family. The venue was built with $ 11 million in private donations. The playing surface consists of Celebration Bermuda turf with a clay base infield and crushed-brick warning track. Facilities include indoor and outdoor batting cages, a VIP booth, coach's offices, and a player clubhouse, as well as state-of-the-art broadcast facilities. Before

90-585: A fighting force of South Carolinians and Yamasee Indians, under Colonel Murice Moore, defeated the Tuscarora, under the leadership of Chief Hancock. This was the final major battle of the Tuscarora War at Fort Neoheroka near current day Snow Hill . In 1758, the area now recognized as Greene and Lenoir Counties was separated from Johnston and named Dobbs for the Royal Governor. The county

120-418: A household in the county was $ 32,074, and the median income for a family was $ 36,419. Males had a median income of $ 27,048 versus $ 21,351 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 15,452. About 16.00% of families and 20.20% of the population were below the poverty line , including 28.30% of those under age 18 and 20.50% of those age 65 or over. Prior to the 1965 Voting Rights Act , Greene County

150-453: A new scoreboard and video board. The funds were disbursed in $ 15,000 increments over five years. The City of Kinston provided $ 175,000 in additional funds toward the project. The new boards cost an estimated $ 350,000. On August 10, 2016, new turf grass was put down to replace the 18-year-old surface. Other upgrades included those to the parking lot, lighting, grandstand, and outfield wall. Greene County, North Carolina Greene County

180-522: Is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina . As of the 2020 census , the population was 20,451. Its county seat is Snow Hill . Greene County, being a part of land grant by King Charles II of England in 1663, was first settled around 1710 by immigrants from Maryland , Virginia , and parts of North Carolina. The original inhabitants of the area, the Tuscarora Indians, fought with these immigrants and on March 20–23, 1713,

210-592: Is a member of the regional Eastern Carolina Council of Governments . Greene County is classified by the state of North Carolina as economically distressed. The average income of a resident is approximately $ 36,700 per year. Schools is Greene County are administered by the Greene County Public School system. The five schools include Greene Central High School, Greene Early College High School, Greene County Middle School, Snow Hill Primary School and West Greene Elementary School. Higher education

240-587: Is currently the home of the "Freedom Classic" which is the annual baseball series between the Air Force Academy and the Naval Academy. East Carolina University in nearby Greenville hosted an NCAA super regional in 2001 and an NCAA regional in 2004 at Kinston because the Pirates' on-campus facility, Clark-LeClair Stadium , was not up to Division I standards to host postseason tournaments at

270-456: Is mere inches from the playing field while the furthest seats in the top row of the grandstand sit 52 feet 4 inches (15.95 m) from the action. During the days of segregation , section one of the grandstand and a now removed set of metal bleachers that sat adjacent to section one were designated for black attendees. A majority of the supporting structure is brick and steel, and steel beams cause some partially obstructed views. The roof

300-520: Is provided through nearby East Carolina University or community colleges located in Goldsboro , Greenville and Kinston . One private school, Mt. Calvary Christian Academy, is also located in the county. Clark%E2%80%93LeClair Stadium Clark–LeClair Stadium is a baseball park located on the campus of East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina . It is the home field of

330-463: Is the largest town and major commercial center in the county. The town draws its name from the historic white sandy banks of nearby Contentnea Creek . Present-day Greene County is the second county of that name in North Carolina. The first (also named for Nathanael Greene) is now Greene County, Tennessee . It was established in 1783, in what was then the western part of the state. That area

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360-607: Is wooden, as is the press box. The outfield wall is made of brick with signs of various materials and a wooden batter's eye . The facility is often used for a variety of events besides minor league baseball. In September 1979, the USSSA ( slow-pitch softball ) World Series was held in Grainger Stadium. The stadium hosted the Colonial Athletic Association baseball tournament from 1995 to 1999 and

390-602: The Carolina League , as it is the second-oldest stadium in the circuit. It remains one of the oldest active ballparks in Minor League Baseball . The field itself has dimensions of 335 feet (102 m) down the left and right field lines, and 390 feet (120 m) to straightaway center field . The Grainger Stadium field has been recognized for its quality. This is largely due to the efforts of two men, Lewis B. "Mac" McAvery and Tommy Walston. McAvery

420-611: The Conference USA baseball tournament in 2002 . Two devoted fans who met at a Kinston Indians game decided to get married at the ballpark. On September 30, 2006, Grainger Stadium was the site of the Whole Hog Blues Festival. The facility is often used for regional youth and collegiate baseball tournaments. For example, in May 2007, the ballpark was the site of the 2007 NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional. It

450-556: The East Carolina Pirates of the American Athletic Conference . The stadium was named after Pirate alumnus and contributor Bill Clark and former Pirates coach Keith LeClair . ECU's current head coach is Cliff Godwin . The stadium has 3,000 stadium bleacher seats, plus space for several thousand more spectators in "The Jungle." There are concession and restroom facilities at the stadium, plus

480-511: The 2017 season, an updated scoreboard and sound system was installed. In 2019, a 7,125-square foot hitting facility was completed along the right field line at a cost of $ 1 million. In 2024 a new LED lighting system was installed prior to the season to "improve visibility and lower maintenance costs." The dimensions of the outfield are 320 feet (98 m) down the foul lines and 390 feet (119 m) to center field. The diamond has an unorthodox northwesterly alignment (home plate to center field);

510-633: The Sportsturf Manager of the Year award for all of Class A baseball in 2003. Walston is also president and founder of the Eastern North Carolina Sportsturf Association. Grainger Stadium has a seating capacity of 4,100 which includes a covered grandstand of eight sections partially protected by netting, uncovered metal bleachers down the third base line, and several rows of uncovered seating along

540-469: The country, and in 1952 it was indeed Adlai Stevenson II ’s strongest county in his landslide loss to Dwight D. Eisenhower , besides being his strongest behind Georgia's Baker County in 1956. However, opposition to the voting and civil rights legislation of the Lyndon Johnson administration turned the county over to George Wallace in the 1968 presidential election, and Richard Nixon became

570-527: The county. At the 2000 census , there were 18,975 people, 6,696 households, and 4,955 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile (28 people/km ). There were 7,368 housing units at an average density of 28 units per square mile (11 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 51.83% White , 41.21% Black or African American , 0.30% Native American , 0.09% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 5.75% from other races , and 0.80% from two or more races. 7.96% of

600-586: The first Republican winner since Benjamin Harrison in 1888 with 75 percent of the vote in 1972. Since then, Greene County has gradually become Republican-leaning: the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the county was Bill Clinton in 1992, although no Democrat except McGovern and Humphrey has fallen under 40 percent. Greene County is represented by Republican Senator Buck Newton in North Carolina's 4th Senate district . Greene County

630-424: The first base line. There is also a picnic area with tables that have a full view of the playing field. Box seats stretch from first to third base just in front of the grandstand. With the exception of the metal bleachers, all seats in Grainger Stadium are formed plastic. The box seats are squared off sections bordered by metal railing with plastic folding chairs and have waitresses assigned to them. The closest seating

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660-442: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 6,696 households, out of which 34.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.10% were married couples living together, 17.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 22.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

690-471: The recommended orientation is east-northeast. The elevation of the field is approximately 70 feet (21 m) above sea level . The stadium is home to the 2007 ECU Invitational and Keith LeClair Classic The Pirates consistently rank in the top thirty among Division I baseball programs in attendance. The stadium hosted the Conference USA tournament in 2007 , won by Rice , the Regionals of

720-578: The time. Subsequent upgrades to Clark-LeClair have allowed ECU to host in Greenville. Grainger Stadium has been renovated often through the years to maintain the facility and to try to keep it up to the standards of professional baseball. At times, these renovations have been quite extensive. In January 2007, the Kinston- Lenoir County Tourism Development Authority approved $ 75,000 to help fund

750-402: Was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.09. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.30% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 30.90% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 12.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 105.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.90 males. The median income for

780-687: Was an overwhelmingly Democratic “ Solid South ” bastion. Between 1932 and 1956, every Democratic nominee reached 93.5 percent of the county's vote, and up to 1960 Herbert Hoover in the religiously polarized 1928 election had been the only post- disfranchisement Republican to pass 22 percent of the county's vote. Unlike the Black Belts of the Deep South, Greene County completely resisted the Dixiecrat movement of 1948 to be only 0.07 percent shy of Texas’ Duval County as Harry Truman ’s strongest in

810-577: Was ceded to the federal government and became part of the Southwest Territory (1790–1796) and the State of Tennessee (after 1796). According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 267.21 square miles (692.1 km ), of which 266.73 square miles (690.8 km ) is land and 0.48 square miles (1.2 km ) (0.2%) is water. As of the 2020 census , there were 20,451 people, 7,164 households, and 4,750 families residing in

840-435: Was formed in 1791 from the northern part of Dobbs County . It was originally named Glasgow County , for James Glasgow , North Carolina Secretary of State from 1777 to 1798. In 1799, Glasgow's involvement in military land grant frauds forced him to resign and leave the state. Glasgow County was then renamed Greene County in honor of Nathanael Greene , one of General Washington's right-hand men. The county seat, Snow Hill,

870-464: Was initially used by Grainger High School. Grainger is a prominent old family name in Greene and Lenoir Counties . The stadium is owned by the city and leased by the team. A dedicatory plaque identifies the structure as "Municipal Stadium", but it has been called Grainger Stadium since it was built. Ownership began referring to it as "Historic Grainger Stadium" due to its age relative to other fields in

900-400: Was the head groundskeeper from 1949 to his death in 1979. In honor of his accomplishments, the team established an annual award in his name to be given to the individual who has done the most to "preserve and enhance" professional baseball in Kinston. Walston was the head groundskeeper until the spring of 2008. He was honored with four Carolina League Groundskeeper of the Year awards as well as

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