Mitchell Stadium
| Location | Stadium Drive Bluefield, West Virginia |
|---|---|
| Owner | Bluefield, West Virginia |
| Operator | Bluefield High School, Graham High School |
| Capacity | 10,000 |
| Surface | FieldTurf |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1935 |
| Opened | 1936 |
| Architect | Works Progress Administration |
Mitchell Stadium is a 10,000 seat stadium in Bluefield, West Virginia. It was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1935, and is located in Bluefield's city park that straddles the West Virginia–Virginia state line.
The facility now serves as the home football field for the public high schools of Bluefield and its twin city of the same name in Virginia—Bluefield High School in West Virginia and Graham High School in Virginia. The stadium is in West Virginia, unlike the neighboring Bowen Field baseball park, which is in Virginia. This means that Graham is unique among American high schools in that its home football games are actually played in another state. The stadium is actually, however, closer to the Graham building than the Bluefield building.
City Manager Emory P. Mitchell would work to develop a recreation commission in Bluefield and set out to secure funds to build a city park, pool, auditorium, football field, baseball field and tennis courts.
“Of all the projects completed during the years Mitchell served as manager of (Bluefield), none was closer to his heart than the stadium,” Betty Mitchell Nelson, retired dean of students of Purdue University quoted from the dedication of the stadium on Oct. 23, 1954, in a letter she sent to the Bluefield board of directors. A school classmate had provided her with articles concerning a proposal to change the name of Mitchell Stadium, and Nelson, who retired as dean of students at Purdue after 30 years of service, shared insights as to why the city leadership chose to name the stadium for him. The dedication took place on Oct. 23, 1954, more than three years after Mitchell’s death on May 25, 1951.
“The stadium is named for the late Emory P. Mitchell as a permanent and lasting memorial to a devoted public servant who, in his lifetime, sought no praise or commendation for his efforts except the realization that his community had benefited from his work,” according to the formal remarks presented at the dedication. Like her parents, Nelson dedicated her life to serving her community, West Lafayette, Ind. About 15 years ago, the Purdue University Chapter of Mortar Board created the Dean Betty Nelson Service Awards that are given annually to a student and a student organization for their excellence in community service in the Lafayette area. Nelson participated annually in the presentation which involves a certificate and a monetary award.
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