Campo Atlético Charles H. Terry
| "El Charles H. Terry" | |
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| Location | Barrio Quinto, Ponce, Puerto Rico |
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| Coordinates | 18°00′49″N 66°36′31″W / 18.013700°N 66.608520°WCoordinates: 18°00′49″N 66°36′31″W / 18.013700°N 66.608520°W |
| Owner | Municipality of Ponce |
| Operator | Municipality of Ponce |
| Capacity | Several thousand (approx. maximum) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1910 |
| Opened | 20 November 1910 |
Campo Atlético Charles H. Terry (English: Charles H. Terry Athletic Field), or simply, El Charles H. Terry is the oldest continuously-functioning athletic field and baseball park in Puerto Rico, and the second oldest in the Caribbean. It is located in the city of Ponce.
The Campo Atlético Charles H. Terry was built in 1909 by initiative of then Ponce High School students Cayetano Pou, Rafael Matienzo and Francisco Perez, and the financial backing of Lucas P. Valdivieso and Fernando Luis Toro. The field was initially called La Liga del Castillo for its proximity to the Carcel del Castillo (Castillo Jail) then located just north of it at what is now the Escuela de Bellas Artes de Ponce.
The Charles H. Terry Athletic Field opened in November 1910, in barrio Quinto, in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Its original intended use was to serve as an athletics, sports, and baseball field for students of the new Ponce High School. It was named after one of the first principals of the school, the continental Charles H. Terry, for his effort and dedication in securing the field for use by the students of his school.
Prior to being used as an atletic field for school activities, the area was used for military exercises by the Spanish Military Headquarters adjacent to it. The first official baseball game in Ponce took place in this field in 1899. The first baseball championship in Poncetook place here in 1904 between the local Ponce, Pabst, and Atenas teams.
The American teacher Charles H. Terry, who in 1909 was named superintendent of Ponce public schools, made the arrangements with the United States Army stationed at the old Spanish Military headquarters adjacent to the field to acquire the area where the athletic field would be built. The building of the physical facilities started the same year. Engineers from the Central Guanica sugarcane mill lend technical assistance for the development of the facility. Adrian J. Grief, an officer at Central Guánica, donated the materials for the construction of the field. Volleyball, football, and basketball facilities were operational by 1913.
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