The Phillies are celebrating their 75th anniversary in Clearwater, Fla., this year. For many years they held Spring Training elsewhere, including Philadelphia from 1883-1901. Nine other states hosted Phillies Spring Training before they settled in Clearwater in 1947. Only the Detroit Tigers have a longer tenure, having trained in Lakeland, Fla., continuously since 1946.

Thanks to Bill Veeck, Clearwater, a city on Florida's Gulf Coast, became home to the Phillies. Veeck bought the Cleveland Indians in June of 1946 and decided to move their Spring Training camp from Clearwater to near his Tucson, Ariz., ranch.

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Cleveland trained in Clearwater in 1946 and had planned on returning until Veeck stepped in. When asked by city officials to reconsider, Veeck reportedly asked for time to think about it. In the meantime, city officials received responses from two big league teams, the St. Louis Browns and the Phillies, and two Minor League teams, Newark and Kansas City.

After the Browns decided to head for Miami, the Phillies accepted an invitation to move out of Miami Beach. Clearwater's population was around 15,000. “Clearwater was a small town then, mostly orange groves,” recalled Curt Simmons after his first trip to Florida in 1947.

A couple of days after camp opened, Veeck reportedly headed to Clearwater to negotiate sharing Athletic Field with the Phillies. His Indians were hampered with daily dust storms in Arizona.

Phillies manager Ben Chapman didn't take the report too kindly: "I'm against the proposition. We have only one park and it's not big enough for two clubs. We want no competition here while we're training -- competition for the fans, I mean. Nor do we welcome any distractions."

On March 7, the Phillies agreed to exclusive use of the park for nine more seasons, ending Cleveland's hope of returning.

"The Phillies bid adios to this city and its snow-covered streets this afternoon. It's Major League training camp time and the local National Leaguers boarded a B&O train for the sunny southland. The destination is Clearwater, Florida, where the Phils will hold forth for the next two months getting in shape for the baseball season," wrote Ray Kelly in the Feb. 22, 1947, Philadelphia Evening Bulletin.

Wives and children were permitted in camp, although that policy was off and on for a few years. "There's a grand scurry around Clearwater for flats and bungalows," reported a Philadelphia Evening Bulletin story. "The prices are staggering, even to the $15,000-a-year ball player." The story added, "Frank McCormick (first baseman) found himself an apartment for $300." Players living out of the hotel were offered $5.00 a day for meals and $4.00 a day for rent. On occasion, the players had time to play golf at the Belleair Golf Course. "Greens fees are $1 if you are down with the Phils; otherwise, $2," according to a newspaper clipping.

Fishing was also in, if the players had spare time. One newspaper clipping said, "The local sporting goods store has sold 35 fishing rods to team members. Shrimp is the popular bait. One player bought some for bait but wound up eating it. Two fishing parties for the players were scheduled one day. A writer reported, "Half of the Phillies won't go deep sea fishing because they get seasick."

Clearwater Beach was "pretty sparse" catcher Andy Seminick remembered. "There was a marina and a couple of places to hang out, Park Restaurant and the Trail Inn."

First ballpark

Clearwater Athletic Field was around way before the Phillies arrived in town. It was first occupied by the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers) during Spring Training in 1923. Clearwater population then was about 3,000.

Manager Ben Chapman put pitchers and catchers through their first workout at Athletic Field on February 24, 1947.

"The ballpark is good and bad. The infield, although not tested, appears in fine shape. The outfield is a bucket of sand," reported Stan Baumgartner in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Seminick was in that first Spring Training camp. "It was nothing but sand and seashells and it was brutal. We had tough workouts and Chapman ended everyday with 50-75 wind sprints."

The players dressed in a small clubhouse on the third-base side. "It was more like a wooden shack," recalled Seminick. "It looked like it might fall down any minute. It was so cold the city finally agreed to install a pot-belly stove. The shower area was small, and the water was mostly cold." Cold was the weather for that spring, according to several newspaper reports, "A man was seen walking the streets this morning with earmuffs on -- honest."

Lunch for the players consisted of one sandwich and one small milk. Players stayed at the Fort Harrison Hotel and walked to and from Athletic Field. Following Spring Training, the hotel closed until the following winter tourist season. (According to the 1950 census, Clearwater’s population was 15,581. In the winter it swelled to nearly 100,000).

The Phillies lost their first Clearwater game on March 11, 13-1, to the Detroit Tigers. Chapman exploded, “I don't intend to take any more 13-1 lickings. We're playing every game as if it counted in the standings. This is not a try-out camp and it's not a resting place for worn out ball players. I've already separated the sheep from the goats and the goats are on the way out." According to newspaper accounts, there were 1,766 paid admissions and almost that number of passes.

While they didn't take any more "lickings," the Phillies finished a dismal 3-12 before embarking on a trip through Florida and up the country's east coast. The exhibition season ended with two games against the Philadelphia Athletics at Shibe Park, a tradition called “The City Series.”

The North Greenwood Recreation and Aquatic Complex currently occupies the site of Athletic Field. On March 19, 2016, the location was recognized as a Florida Heritage Site, the first in Clearwater city limits.