In its 90-year history, Luther Williams Field has played host to a number of baseball teams and a few movies but not many know the history behind its namesake.

“It’s important to recognize those who came before you, especially if something is named,” said Brandon Raphael, president of the Macon Bacon, which now plays in the stadium recognized as the second-oldest minor league venue in the United States.

Williams was originally born in South Wales. His mother had connections to John Adams’ presidency, and his father was a clergyman for the Church of England. When he was 14 years old, he began providing for himself and became employed in the civil service commission of the British government, according to information at the Washington Memorial Library archives.

Four years later, Williams moved to Macon after being hired by the Western Union Telegraph Company where he worked from 1873-1880. After that, he devoted himself to the city’s economic growth running his own Bank and Trust Company and building one of the strongest financial centers in the region.

Williams’s love for athletics was what helped bring baseball and the stadium to Macon. During a city council meeting, he was asked to step out as council members discussed naming the stadium in his honor.

Today, Williams is still remembered by many Macon residents and visitors who are curious about his legacy. Robert Walker, Macon-Bibb County’s Parks and Recreation Director, appreciates people’s wonder of the man behind the park.

“We do get questions from time to time about the stadium, and they bring up Luther Williams,” Walker said.

However, there are still many people in Macon who do not know of Williams.

“It’s kinda a hidden treasure here in Macon,” Walker said.

Despite this, Williams’ legacy is still carried on by the stadium and those who play the game. Last baseball season, the Bacon hosted the Luther Williams’ family to celebrate the stadium’s anniversary, and the four generations of his grandsons threw out the first pitch simultaneously.

“Any team that would be here [at the stadium] should always honor the past,” Raphael said.

As president of the team that plays in Luther Williams Field, Raphael hopes that Williams is proud of how the Bacon and the stadium carry on his legacy through bringing Macon together for fun summer nights of baseball.

“I hope that he would be proud of the way we are representing his name,” he said.

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