From Derry, Ireland to Fenway Park!

Ireland's "next Parish Over" Boston, MA has many ties to the old country. One of the unknown but fascinating connections is Derry Born Contractor Charles Logue whose company built the Famous "Cathedral" Known as Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.

Charles Logue was born in 1858 in Derry, Ireland and immigrated to the US in 1900. He was one of Boston's 250 Irish Contractors in the early 1900's. He earned immense wealth by building structures for the Catholic Archdiocese and for Boston College. Fenway Park was open on April 20, 1912, just 5 days after the titanic sank.

Boston Globe publisher General Charles Taylor would give his son John, the Boston Red Sox club as a gift. The first thing John did, as a new owner is building a new stadium. It was named Fenway Park after his father's land company Fenway Realty. He searched hard and long for a project contractor. Logue negotiated his way to the contract with an impressive resume and a straight-shooting personality.

Most of Logue's crew were Irish immigrants. As they broke ground on the new stadium, they had to make sure that batters were not facing the sun in late afternoon. Obviously, they never thought night baseball was possible at that time. Logue did not build the famous "Green Monstah". It was not built until 1933. He completed the project for 650k.

As a sign of things to come the Red Sox would open the stadium against the New York Highlanders who would later become the hated Sox rival, the Yankees. The Red Sox would win the game in extra innings 7-6 and go on to their best ever record 105-47 and Win the World Series over the New York Giants. The curse of the Bambino would later follow along with the bloody Sock, the 0-3 comeback, Bucky "#%%##%" Dent and the best rivalry in sports. It all started with one man from Derry, Ireland.