1852c.11

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Hartford Lads Play Early Morning Wicket on Main Street

Salience Noteworthy
Location Connecticut
City/State/Country: hartford, ct, United States
Game Wicket
Immediacy of Report Retrospective
Age of Players Youth
Holiday Fast Day
Text

"Wicket was played in various locations of the city [of Hartford CT] . . . .  But the best games of all in many respects were the early morning games, played by clerks . . . for four or five months [a year] on Main street . . . .

"It was customary for the first [clerk] who was first awake at 5 o'clock to dress, and make rounds of the [State House] square, knocking on the doors and shouting 'Wicket.'  By 5:30 enough would be out to begin playing, and soon with 15 to 20 on a side the game was in full swing.

"There was very little passing of teams and but little danger of beaking store windows, although cellar windows would be broken, and paid for.  Most stores had outside shutters to the windows, and were thus protected.  These games would end about 6:45, in time to open the stores at 7 o'clock.  It was good exercise, and very enjoyable, and I have no doubt that many of our older merchants and bankers will recall with pleasure the good old wicket games in State House Square in 1852-3-4."

Sources

J. G. Rathbun, unidentified article circa 1907, Chadwick Scrapbooks, as cited in Peter Morris, But Didn't We Have Fun? (Ivan R. Dee, 2008), pages 14-15.

Comment

It is interesting that the game could be played in the limited area of a broad city street.

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