More than a century has passed since Henry Wilson amassed 26 acres in Galesville, but the legacy of his purchase can be seen at Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park.
A former enslaved man, Wilson bought the land and a house on the main road into Galesville in the mid-1800s — one of the few African Americans to do so in Maryland then. Decades later, Wilson’s son Richard allowed some of the acres to be used as a sandlot ball field.
In 1928, the lot was transformed into a field for the Galesville Hot Sox, a semiprofessional Negro league baseball team formed in 1915 that called the site home for most of the 20th century. Upwards of 1,200 people would attend the team’s games.
“Imagine if you were Henry Wilson looking down from heaven at what is here today,” said Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman. “Man, the farm is looking pretty good, isn’t it? Cleaned it up a bit.”
Cleaning the land up, however, took teamwork. On a sunny Friday afternoon, those who helped continue Wilson’s legacy — the Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks, the Galesville Community Center Organization, the Galesville Heritage Society and the West River Improvement Association — were given an award from the Maryland Historical Trust for their ]stewardship of the cultural site.
Jessica Leys, director of the county’s recreation and parks department, received an excellence in community engagement award.
“Your unwavering support and encouragement and belief in a collective vision has been driving this for years,” she said. “This is your celebration today.”
County officials and the historical trust also singled out Gertrude Makell, the former president of the Galesville Community Center Organization, for helping rehabilitate the property.
“Without [Makell’s] steadfast commitment to this project and others in the Galesville community, it’s unlikely that we would be standing here today,” said Elizabeth Hughes, executive director of the Maryland Historical Trust.
The park has been owned by Anne Arundel County since 2013. Prior to the renovations, the field was in fair condition, Makell said in 2021, but was not safe for youth teams to play baseball.
The field reopened in 2022 following a $2.5 million renovation, including a new irrigation system, grandstands for spectators and upgrades to the entryway and parking area. Dugouts with plaques showcasing Hot Sox players such as pitcher Edward “Tommy” Sesker, who racked up more than 200 wins and later tried out for the Orioles, and first baseman and center fielder Chester Turner, who tried out for the Brooklyn Dodgers were also built.
The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Gertrude Makell's granddaughter Tiera Cromwell gives remarks during the unveiling of sign in her late grandmother’s honor. The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Stuart Pittman, Anne Arundel County Executive, gives remarks with Roger Marshall Sr., president of the Galesville Community Center Organization and vice president Scherelle Makell by his side. The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Friends and family gather at the unveiling of sign in the late Gertrude Makell's honor. The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Gertrude Makell's son Lionel Makell and his daughter Chelsey Makell comfort each other during the unveiling of a sign in Gertrude’s honor. The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Gertrude Makell's son Lee Makell and daughter Scherelle Makell comfort each other during the unveiling of sign in their late mother’s honor. The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Stuart Pittman, Anne Arundel County Executive, gives remarks. The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Stuart Pittman, Anne Arundel County Executive, gives remarks with Roger Marshall Sr., president of the Galesville Community Center Organization and vice president Scherelle Makell by his side. The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Elizabeth Hughes, Executive Director, Maryland Historical Trust, gives remarks. The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
A sign is dedicated to the late Gertrude Makell by the Maryland Historical Trust at Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Roger Marshall Sr., president of the Galesville Community Center Organization, gives remarks with the groups vice president Scherelle Makell by his side. The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Elizabeth Hughes, Executive Director, Maryland Historical Trust, gives an award to Jessica Leys, Anne Arundel County, Director of Recreation and Parks. The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Jessica Leys, Anne Arundel County, Director of Recreation and Parks gives remarks. The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Guests walk into the ceremony. The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
Stuart Pittman, Anne Arundel County Executive, gives remarks. The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
The Maryland Historical Trust recognized Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks’ Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park with its 2024 Preservation Award for Outstanding Stewardship of a Cultural Site during an event that also honored Galesville community leader Gertrude Makell. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff photo)
While the restored field has been in use for more than a year and a half, new signage detailing the Hot Sox’s history as an independent Black baseball team during segregation was unveiled Friday.
Roger Marshall Sr., president of the Galesville Community Center Organization, said: “To all the players who played on this historic field … we thank you, because without you and your baseball talent, there wouldn’t be any… stories to capture,” he said.
One of numerous Black baseball teams in the region, the Hot Sox played against other sandlot teams in Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties, as well as elite teams in the Negro Professional League. Several players were sent up to the Negro Leagues, and some even went on to the major leagues, including Anne Arundel County’s first Black director of recreation and parks, John Makell Jr., who signed with the Orioles in 1955 but ultimately did not play due to an arm injury.
A wooded trail from the park to the Galesville Community Center is now marked as “Gertrude’s Way” with a bright baby blue sign — a color she loved — as well.
“I really believe this was her mission, and this kept her going, honestly,” said Tiera Cromwell, one of her granddaughters. “To see all that she put in and this was the outcome, she definitely gained her wings with her purpose fulfilled.”
