Like prized museum pieces, items removed from Connie Mack Stadium during and after its closing on Oct. 1, 1970, continue to be proudly displayed in Philadelphia-area dens and basements.
For all their emotional value, however, those bases, bricks, lockers, and wooden seats are inert relics, lifeless artifacts stripped from a carcass.
But nearly a half-century later, there remains one living, enduring remnant of the former North Philadelphia ballpark - some outfield grass replanted and thriving on Haverford College's leafy 216-acre campus.
The story of how Chuck Durante, now a Wilmington attorney, salvaged, planted, and nurtured this piece of sacred sod is a testament both to the chaos surrounding the stadium's final night and to the deep-rooted passion of Philadelphia fans.