(Courtesy photo) All-Star catcher Roy Campanella, left, and Cy Young Award pitcher Don Newcombe, began their stellar careers with the Nashua Dodgers before moving up to the Brooklyn Dodgers.

NASHUA — Word has been received that Holman Stadium, one of the city’s most recognized and beloved multi-use venues, will soon be adding another chapter to a storied legacy birthed some 85 years ago on a partly forested, partly meadowy spate of land bordered by Amherst, Manchester and Merrimack streets and Sargents Avenue.

The leadership of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire (BHTNH) and Mayor Jim Donchess have confirmed that Holman Stadium is to become a stop on the BHTNH, an honor that stems from its days as a Brooklyn Dodgers farm team whose roster featured the names of Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella.

Newcombe, a Cy Young Award winning pitcher, and Campanella, a Hall of Fame catcher, also happened to be Black, making the Nashua Dodgers the first integrated Major League Baseball-affiliated team in the nation.

“It is important that we honor these two players – Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe – in the place where they made history,” Donchess said. “And to announce the plans during Black History Month is a particular pleasure.”

A ceremony, including the unveiling of a plaque, will take place at the stadium on May 30, ahead of a Nashua Silver Knights game.

More information about the BHTNH, the May ceremony, and a comprehensive history of Holman Stadium — focusing on Newcombe, Campanella and the Nashua Dodgers — will be the subject of Dean Shalhoup’s column in the Feb. 19 Sunday Telegraph.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.