Nestled between homes and businesses in Butler is Pullman Park, a baseball field rich in history and memories for many city residents.

Among those residents is Richard Schnur, who blends personal memories with the historical significance of the 76-year-old park and information on its current tenants, the Butler BlueSox, in his book "Men of Summer Return." The book was released on July 13.

Growing up just two blocks from the park, Schnur spent much of his youth attending baseball games.

He used his recollection of players and games, along with a year's worth of research, to provide a detailed account of the park's past.

"I have so much experience with it in the past, writing the book really brought back old memories," said Schnur as he gazed at the field from the park seats.

Schnur interlaces anecdotal recollections of the character and nuances of the park with the its rich history.

"A lot of people don't know what it was like in the '40s with the minor leagues," Schnur said.

The book recounts the different minor league teams and legendary players that once played at the park. Players like Negro League great Josh Gibson and New York Yankees legends Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig and Ed "Whitey" Ford made trips to Pullman Park when it housed minor league baseball.

"Whitey Ford looked like a little kid," said Schnur, referring to the then-17-year-old pitcher who would win 236 games for the Yankees.

Professional baseball at the park ended after the 1951 season, with only local leagues playing there after that.

Schnur's book chronicles the 2009 arrival of the BlueSox from Washington, Pa., and details the team's current players and staff.

"We were very pleased and honored that, as the new kids on the block, we were even included in the book," said Leo Trich Jr., general manager and majority owner of the BlueSox.

The BlueSox play in the Prospect Collegiate League, designed to prepare college players for professional baseball.

The BlueSox arrival, in what Trich described as a "very strong baseball town," marked a revival of that level of baseball at the park that had been dormant for 57 years.

"I was disappointed that we didn't get a minor league team," said Schnur. "But I like the college team more than I expected."

In fact, according to Trich, Schnur has not missed a game since the BlueSox arrived.

In the book, Schnur writes that Trich was drawn to the park after it underwent a two-year, $5 million renovation from 2005 to 2007.

"The new renovations make Pullman one of the top facilities in the Prospect League," said Trich. "It makes it easier to attract college players."

Schnur said his book is the first written about the historic park.

"I had all this information and I wanted to let someone else enjoy it," he said. "You could call it a labor of love."

For the book, Schnur used pictures he had taken of former players while he worked as the scoreboard operator in the late 1940s.

The 78-year-old Schnur found time to write in the '90s when he became semi-retired from his job as an accountant.

Schnur has co-authored a cookbook, four family genealogy books and a mystery novel, "Death Farm- Murder at Wentlings Corners."

The baseball book "Men of Summer Return" is available for $10 at the Book Nook on Main Street and at the Pullman Park gift shop.