Two Newly-Discovered 19th Century Accounts of Baseball Played in Pelham

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One of the nation's premier college preparatory schools, The Taft School (now located in Watertown, Connecticut), began in Pelham Manor in 1890.  Horace Dutton Taft, a brother of William Howard Tafe who, in 1909, became the nation's 27th President and of Henry Waters Taft, a prominent New York attorney who lived in Pelham Manor, founded the schoo and operated it in Pelham Manor for a brief three-year period beginning in 1890.  The school quickly grew beyond the available resources in Pelham Manor and was moved to Connecticut.

As one might expect, The Taft School for Boys (as it was often called) had a baseball team.  Until now I have not seen any records of games played by the team.  While working in The Historian's Office over the weekend, however, I reviewed a clippings file for Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls.  One of the clippings was from a student newspaper published by The Taft School named The Manor.  On the back of the clipping (saved because it was a brief account of an event held at Mrs. Hazen's School for Girls) were partial accounts of two baseball games played by The Taft School baseball team during the summer of 1892.  An associated clipping makes clear that the item appeared in the July 1892 issue of The Manor published in Pelham Manor, New York.  The editor of the publication at the time was Charles E. Merrill, Jr.  The associate editor was Thomas S. McLane.  The publication was available at a subscription rate of "$1.00 a Year" and was sold for "20 Cents a Copy."  A notice beneath the masthead of the publication stated "All those who have not paid their subscriptions to THe MANOR may send them to THE MANOR, care of Mr. H. D. Taft, Pelham, N.Y."

I have included an image of the clipping below as well as a transcription of its text.

Partial Accounts of Two Baseball Games Played in

Pelham in 1892.  Partial Clipping from July 1892

Issue of THE MANOR Published by The Taft School.

NOTE:  Click on Image to Enlarge.

"THE [MANOR]

[bat]tery also did good work, and Brayton caught a pretty fly in left field.  In order to economize space, we give only the record of the home team:

TAFT'S SCHOOL

		A.B	R	1B	P O	A	E
Bullen, p	………………	5	1	0	2	10	0
Mallon, c., 2b	………………	5	1	2	4	5	0
Kebler, s.s.	………………	5	1	1	1	2	0
Smith, 3b	………………	5	0	0	0	0	0
Sherman, r.f.	………………	5	1	1	2	2	2
Scott, c, 2b	………………	5	1	0	4	2	9
Brayton, lf	………………	4	1	1	1	0	0
Perkins, c.f.	………………	4	2	2	0	0	1
Brownell, 1b	………………	4	1	1	13	3	2
		___	___	___	___	___	___
Totals	………………	42	9	8	27	24	14

Passed balls, Mallon, 0; Scott 7.  Struck out by Bullen, 4.

SCORE BY INNINGS:

Taft’s School	…………	3	2	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	--	9
New Rochelle	…………	2	1	0	1	0	2	0	2	0	--	8

TAFT'S SCHOOL, 14; NEW ROCHELLE, 2.

The School nine played the New Rochelle team, of which Lawton is captain, at the field, on Wednesday, June 1st [1892], and defeated them by the above score.

The game was remarkably well played in"

The partial box score of one game and the tiny reference to a second game show the following.  During the spring of 1892, The Taft School had a baseball team that played at least two games, both against a team from New Rochelle.  The Taft School won both games.  It one the first game, played in Pelham Manor, 9-8.  It also won the second game, played on Wednesday, June 1, 1892 in New Rochelle, 14-2.

Undated Photograph (Ca. 1896) of the Pelham A.C. Jr.

Baseball Team. Although Difficult to See in This Low

Resolution Version of the Image, There Are Many

Children Whose Eyes Can Be Seen Peering, and Whose

Fingers Extend, Through the Cracks Between the Boards

Behind the Team. NOTE: Click Image To Enlarge.

*          *          *          *

I have written quite extensively regarding the history of baseball in Pelham and early baseball games played in the Town of Pelham.  Below is a listing, with links, of my previous postings on the topic of 19th century baseball in Pelham.

Thu., Jun. 18, 2015:  More Early References to 19th Century and Early 20th Century Baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Apr. 06, 2015:  Early Baseball Game Played by Pelham Team in 1866.

Fri., Mar. 28, 2014:  Earliest Evidence Yet! Baseball Was Played in Pelham Only Months After the Civil War Ended. 

Thu., Mar. 20, 2014:  19th Century Baseball in Pelham - Newly-Discovered References.

Tue., Feb. 16, 2010:  Photograph of Only Known 19th Century Women's Baseball Team in Pelham, New York.


Thu., Jan. 28, 2010:   News About Pelham Manor and Pelhamville in 1895 - Lighting Districts, Gas for the Village, Baseball and More.

Tue., Dec. 15, 2009:  Baseball Games Played by the City Island Beldenites and the City Island Rivals in 1884.  

Mon., Dec. 14, 2009:  Baseball Games Played by the City Island Shamrocks in 1889.  

Fri., Dec. 11, 2009:  Earliest Reference Yet to Baseball Played in Pelham.  

Thu., Dec. 10, 2009:  More 19th Century Baseball and Firefighting References. 

Wed., Dec. 9, 2009:  City Island Shamrocks Base Ball Club Changed its Name to the Minnefords in 1888.

Wed., Nov. 25, 2009:  Even More Early References to Baseball Played in Pelham.

Tue., Nov. 24, 2009:  Yet Another Reference to Early Baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Nov. 23, 2009:  Additional Brief Accounts of Baseball Played in Pelham in the 19th Century.

Friday, November 20, 2009:  More Accounts of Early Baseball Played in Pelham.

Fri., Nov. 13, 2009:  1894 Account of Developments in Pelham Including a Reference to a Baseball Game Played that Year.

Thur., Nov. 12, 2009:  More Early References to Baseball Played in Pelham.

Wed., Sep. 30, 2009:   Score of June 1, 1887 Baseball Game Between the Country Club and The Knickerbocker Club.

Fri., Mar. 20, 2009:   Another Reference to 19th Century Baseball in Pelham.

Tue., Mar. 4, 2008:   Another Brief Reference to 19th Century Baseball in Pelham.

Mon., Nov. 26, 2007:  Box Score of a Baseball Game Played on Travers Island in Pelham Manor in July 1896.

Wed., Nov. 21, 2007:  Baseball on Travers Island During the Summer of 1897.

Fri., Jul. 20, 2007:  Account of Early Baseball in Pelham: Pelham vs. the New York Athletic Club on Travers Island in 1897.

Fri., Nov. 10, 2006: The Location of Another Early Baseball Field in Pelham.

Mon., Oct. 9, 2006:   Reminiscences of Val Miller Shed Light on Late 19th Century Baseball in Pelham and the Early Development of the Village of North Pelham.

Thu., Mar. 23, 2006:  Baseball Fields Opened on the Grounds of the Westchester Country Club in Pelham on April 4, 1884.  

Tue., Jan. 31, 2006:  Another Account of Baseball Played in Pelham in the 1880s Is Uncovered. 

Thu., Oct. 6, 2005:   Does This Photograph Show Members of the "Pelham Manor Junior Base Ball Team"?

Thu., Sep. 15, 2005:  Newspaper Item Published in 1942 Sheds Light on Baseball in 19th Century Pelham.  

Thu., Feb. 10, 2005:  New Discoveries Regarding Baseball in 19th Century Pelham. 

Bell, Blake A., Baseball in Late 19th Century Pelham, The Pelham Weekly, Vol. XIII, No. 17, Apr. 23, 2004, p. 8, col. 2.

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