The expiry of the lease on Stoney Lane, as well as the club's desire for a more spacious location, saw them move once again in 1900, this time permanently.
All of Albion's previous grounds had been close to the centre of West Bromwich, but on this occasion they took up an "out of town" site on the borders of Handsworth.
The area was covered in hawthorn bushes, which were cleared to make way for the new ground, hence its name, the Hawthorns.
The club signed a lease for the land on 14 May 1900, giving them the option to buy within 14 years from the owner, Sandwell Park Colliery, and Albion did indeed buy the freehold on the ground in June 1913.

When opened, the Hawthorns could hold around 35,500 spectators.
The first match took place on Monday 3 September 1900, when Albion drew 1–1 with Derby County in front of a crowd of 20,104.
Derby's England international Steve Bloomer scored the first Hawthorns goal, with Chippy Simmons equalizing for Albion.
The first Saturday game followed soon after, with Albion losing out 0–1 to fierce local rivals Aston Villa in front of a capacity crowd, officially put at 35,417 but with many more forcing entry and an estimated 15,000 people locked out.
The 1900–01 campaign was not a successful one however, as Albion finished bottom of the table and were relegated to Division Two.
Their defeat to Sheffield United on the final day of the season was witnessed by just 1,050 spectators, which remains the record lowest crowd for a league game at the Hawthorns.

The ground was gradually expanded and 1923 saw the first ever 50,000+ gate with 56,474 watching a 2–1 win in the cup against Sunderland.
The first 60,000+ gate followed in 1925, with 64,612 fans watching a cup tie with arch-rivals Aston Villa.
The all-time attendance record at the Hawthorns was set on 6 March 1937, when 64,815 spectators crammed in to see Albion beat hot-favourites Arsenal 3–1 in the FA Cup quarter-final.
This record was likely bettered when Albion played Newcastle United in an FA Cup fifth round tie in 1954, when over 80,000 people are believed to have been in attendance.
However, the official crowd was registered as 61,088.
The highest ever league crowd was for a 1–1 draw 60,945 against Wolves on 4 March 1950.

Concrete terracing was added to the ground in 1920.
In 1949 the ground became the first in Britain to have an electronic turnstile aggregator fitted, in order to automatically calculate attendances.
In 1957 electric floodlights were erected, at a cost of £18,000.
The ground's first floodlit match saw Albion draw 1–1 with Chelsea, on 18 September 1957.
Soon afterwards a friendly game against the Russian Red Army was organised to officially open them.
Albion won 6–5 in front of 53,805 fans.

The ground was once divided by the Birmingham/Smethwick border, but was moved completely into the latter by a minor rationalisation of local government borders in the 1960s and is now entirely in Sandwell.
In 1964 the large Handsworth Side terrace was replaced by the Rainbow Stand at a cost of £40,000, reducing capacity to around 50,000.
In October 1968, closed-circuit television was installed at the ground, in an attempt to ward off "increasing hooliganism".
Over the following decades capacity was further reduced and perimeter fences were built to help tackle hooliganism.
The Halfords Lane stand was rebuilt in two separate phases between 1979 and 1982, at a cost of around £2.5 million.

By the end of the 1980s, the capacity had been slashed dramatically to just over 30,000, with attendances frequently dropping below half that figure.
The Hawthorns was become increasingly dilapidated and in need of modernisation.
Following the Taylor Report in January 1990, the ground became all-seated with first the Smethwick End and then the much-loved Birmingham Road End terraces being demolished and replaced by all-seater stands, giving it a capacity of more than 25,000 by the mid 1990s.
The official re-opening of the redeveloped ground saw Albion beat Bristol City 1–0 on Boxing Day in 1994.
The expiry of the lease on Stoney Lane, as well as the club's desire for a more spacious location, saw them move once again in 1900, this time permanently. All of Albion's previous grounds had been close to the centre of West Bromwich, but on this occasion they took up an "out of town" site on the borders of Handsworth. The area was covered in hawthorn bushes, which were cleared to make way for the new ground, hence its name, the Hawthorns. The club signed a lease for the land on 14 May 1900, giving them the option to buy within 14 years from the owner, Sandwell Park Colliery, and Albion did indeed buy the freehold on the ground in June 1913.
When opened, the Hawthorns could hold around 35,500 spectators. The first match took place on Monday 3 September 1900, when Albion drew 1–1 with Derby County in front of a crowd of 20,104. Derby's England international Steve Bloomer scored the first Hawthorns goal, with Chippy Simmons equalizing for Albion. The first Saturday game followed soon after, with Albion losing out 0–1 to fierce local rivals Aston Villa in front of a capacity crowd, officially put at 35,417 but with many more forcing entry and an estimated 15,000 people locked out. The 1900–01 campaign was not a successful one however, as Albion finished bottom of the table and were relegated to Division Two. Their defeat to Sheffield United on the final day of the season was witnessed by just 1,050 spectators, which remains the record lowest crowd for a league game at the Hawthorns.
The ground was gradually expanded and 1923 saw the first ever 50,000+ gate with 56,474 watching a 2–1 win in the cup against Sunderland. The first 60,000+ gate followed in 1925, with 64,612 fans watching a cup tie with arch-rivals Aston Villa. The all-time attendance record at the Hawthorns was set on 6 March 1937, when 64,815 spectators crammed in to see Albion beat hot-favourites Arsenal 3–1 in the FA Cup quarter-final. This record was likely bettered when Albion played Newcastle United in an FA Cup fifth round tie in 1954, when over 80,000 people are believed to have been in attendance. However, the official crowd was registered as 61,088. The highest ever league crowd was for a 1–1 draw 60,945 against Wolves on 4 March 1950.
Concrete terracing was added to the ground in 1920. In 1949 the ground became the first in Britain to have an electronic turnstile aggregator fitted, in order to automatically calculate attendances. In 1957 electric floodlights were erected, at a cost of £18,000. The ground's first floodlit match saw Albion draw 1–1 with Chelsea, on 18 September 1957. Soon afterwards a friendly game against the Russian Red Army was organised to officially open them. Albion won 6–5 in front of 53,805 fans. 
The ground was once divided by the Birmingham/Smethwick border, but was moved completely into the latter by a minor rationalisation of local government borders in the 1960s and is now entirely in Sandwell. In 1964 the large Handsworth Side terrace was replaced by the Rainbow Stand at a cost of £40,000, reducing capacity to around 50,000. In October 1968, closed-circuit television was installed at the ground, in an attempt to ward off "increasing hooliganism". Over the following decades capacity was further reduced and perimeter fences were built to help tackle hooliganism. The Halfords Lane stand was rebuilt in two separate phases between 1979 and 1982, at a cost of around £2.5 million.
By the end of the 1980s, the capacity had been slashed dramatically to just over 30,000, with attendances frequently dropping below half that figure. The Hawthorns was become increasingly dilapidated and in need of modernisation. Following the Taylor Report in January 1990, the ground became all-seated with first the Smethwick End and then the much-loved Birmingham Road End terraces being demolished and replaced by all-seater stands, giving it a capacity of more than 25,000 by the mid 1990s. The official re-opening of the redeveloped ground saw Albion beat Bristol City 1–0 on Boxing Day in 1994.
The Hawthorns