The Charming Small Town In Oklahoma That Was Home To Mickey Mantle Once Upon A Time
By Ashley|Published August 11, 2022
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Ashley
Author
Ashley has lived in Oklahoma for 25 years and is the Oklahoma staff writer for onlyinyourstate.com. When she isn't exploring Oklahoma, she enjoys visiting the beaches of California.
Baseball legend Mickey Mantle was born on October 20, 1931, in the town of Spavinaw, Oklahoma. At the age of three, the family moved to Commerce where Mickey grew up until he signed as a professional baseball player right after graduation from Commerce High School. The Mantle family home still stands today and visitors can walk around this historical home. The town of Commerce is home to about 2,500 residents but people travel here from all over the state to see the childhood home of one of the most famous baseball players of all time. There is also an old Route 66 Conoco Fillin’ Station that’s now a museum and gift shop that you’ll want to stop in and visit.
There's not a lot going on in the town of Commerce, Oklahoma these days. The town was once a mining town which is what brought Mickey Mantle's family here in 1935. The population is roughly the same size as it was in the 1930s.
Most people come to Commerce to see the childhood home of Mickey Mantle. Visitors are allowed to view the outside of the property and walk around the lawn. It doesn't appear that they give tours of the inside of the home anymore but you can check with the local city officials. The home is located at 319 South Quincy.
The inside of the home is still staged from items that are relevant to the times when the Mantles lived in the home. Pictures can be found online from when the city used to give tours of the inside of the home.
There is a shed and field next to the home where Mickey and his father and grandfather would practice baseball. You can still see indentions from the balls hitting the shed.
In 2010 a huge bronze statue of Mickey Mantle was added to the Commerce High School Baseball Field. it stands over 9 feet tall and weighs over a ton. He was nicknamed “The Commerce Comet.”
Before leaving town be sure and step back in time at the Conoco Fillin' Station that's now a gift shop and museum. It's a Route 66 icon built into an old brick wall.
