About Elysian Fields -- 2022
This Page Includes These Materials:
Some Favorite Sources on Elysian Fields.
An Elysian Fields Timeline from Tom Gilbert*
Characterizing Base Ball Games at Elysian Fields
Finding Elysian Fields Data on Protoball.org (In preparation)
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Favorite Sources on EF
New to the topic of Elysian Fields? You can start here:
[] Baseball at Hoboken's Elysian Fields, 1845-1865: A Visual History,
with Irwin Chosid and Jonathan Popovich, June 2022,
at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwJGWeWDHPA.
[] Chapter 3, "Escape from the City," in Tom Gilbert's How Baseball Happened
(Godine, Boston 2020), pages 81-115.
[] Thorn, John, Chapter 4, "The Cauldron of Baseball,"
Baseball in the the Garden of Eden, (Simon and Shuster, 2011, pages 85-104.
[] Mann, William A., "Elysian Fields of Hoboken, New Jersey",
Base Ball, volume 1, no. 1, Spring 2007, pp 78. - 102.
To add other favorites, Please contact Larry
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An Elysian Fields Timeline from Tom Gilbert*
(*Subsequent additions noted by asterisk)
Version 1.4, 11/3//2022
Tom Gilbert has made available his brief working notes on the history of Elysian Fields; they form a timeline of about 120 notable events at EF from 1784 to 1904. Many of these events are discussed further in Chapter 3, "Escape From the City" (pp 81-115), of Tom's book How Baseball Happened.(David R. Godine, Boston, 2020; 381 pages)
Note: If you encounter other key EF ballplaying events that might be added, let Larry know.
Tom's Notes --
General Prefatory Points:
[] NB: Many cities had Pleasure Gardens, common names Tivoli, Vauxhall – commonly feat. Colonnade –NOLA Tivoli bb grounds
[] EF an antecedent of: amusement parks, faux nature urban parks a la Central Park, baseball parks etc., country clubs
[Socially] Elevated Uses: Cricket, yachting, turtle club, stag hunt, dueling, carriage driving
Lower Uses: boxing, rowing, blackface entertainment, agric exhib, drinking, smoking, picnics, magic, gang fighting, prostitution, ethnic celebrations, amusement park rides
Mixed: Horse racing, fireworks, theater, concerts, sex, target co./militia drills, outings, turtle dinners, promenading
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Tom's EF Timeline Entries [Later additions noted with asterisks]
1760.1* Cryptic reference to bat-and-ball play in Paris at a woods called Elysian Fields Protoball fle 1760.2
1784.1 John Stevens purchases Hoboken as confiscated Tory prop (Bayard) [Bayard 1772 brick house conv by S Van Antwerp as hotel 1829 near the ferry -- LMc
1804.1 Stevens lays out building lots, EF as amenity – “free from the danger of Yellow Fever, the restrictions of quarantine etc”
1804.2 Burr/Hamilton duel (at Weehaukan, near EF) in Hoboken)
1810.1 NYC panorama incl Hoboken ferry and Stevens Castle
1811.1 First steam ferry NYC to Hoboken -- “Juliana”
1820.1 Co formed to drain/fill salt marshes
1822.1 New steam ferries (Pioneer, Fairy Queen) dep Barclay St (15 min trip)
1824.1 Footrace on “new race course” Hoboken
1826.1 Two girls drown
1827.1 Dueling Death
1829.1 Montagne Russe [Roller Coaster – first in US?] [found in UK pleas gdns 1820s]
1829.2 Hoboken NJ has 400-500 residents.
1830.1 Race $50 canoe v row boats, Indian war dance
1830.2 Hoboken July 4th Celeb
1830.3 Show (pres by Mr Van Antwerp) Misses Peters “infant prodigies” dancing, tight rope etc.
1830s.4* EF ferries carry 20,000 passengers on summer weekend days (Mann, page 78)
1831.1 EF “thrown open to public” party pol bigwigs turtle soup
1831.2 Peabody’s views of NYC incl EF
1831.3 Pleasure Railway Ad (near Hoboken House)
1831.4 Acct of same “turtle grove” cleared, landscaped
1831.5 Colonnade bar open: H H Dyer prop. Music, food
1832.1 Ad Colonnade H H Dyer, landscaping food/drink
1832.2 Stevens under contr RR from ferry to EF (mile+); pub house now under mgmt. Mr Swift
1832.3 NY Mirror illustr EF by Jas Smillie from Wier pntg
1832.4 Mrs Trollope’s view of EF:
1833.1 Hoboken Hotel T Swift mgr
1833.2 Stag hunt Fox Hill Park 1000 feet west of colonnade EF site of Columbus Park (St G CC grounds)
1834.1 Beacon race course built
1834.2 Acc to NYT 1893, EF now “the” one popular resort for NYers
1834.3 Ferry fare 6.5 cents nyc to ef
1834.4 “Lamentable suicide”
1835.1 “Pugilistic riot” bareknuckle match
1835.2 Music composer/pub S H Dyer suicide by hanging [rel to Dyer mgr colonnade?]
1835.3 Foot race prize from J Stevens $1000 for running 10 miles in one hr on trotting course
1835.4* Military drill by militia at EF. New York Evening Star, May 25, 1835
1836.4 Ferry landing Christopher st to Hoboken (Barclay ferry hourly, C st every 4 hrs) liquor served on ferries
1837.1* Highlanders Society meeting at EF, with music and Scottish sports. The New York Commercial Advertiser, Sept. 13, 1837
1837.2* Boat club regatta and rowing races at EF. New York Herald, Aug. 18, 1837
1838.1 Colonnade “pavilion” mgr Dyer, rowing
1838.2 Plough exhibition and cattle sale EF
1838.3 Hoboken Turtle Club @ Turtle Grove
1838.4 Boar Race ad; “Dyer’s EF”
1839.1* Shinty played in the Scottish games, at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken. See Chronologies 1839.8
1841.1 Mary Rogers case
1842.1 Music concerts Mon Wed Sat – ferries to and from Barclay canal Christopher
1842.2 Ex diary priggish (afraid to go to Niblo’s and theater in gen.) Sam’l Ward tourist from Bos: 8/10/42; EF: places of amusement, eg flying deer, swings etc – “great many people but…few respectable ones” live music, scots in kilts “a place not noted for morality” crowds on sun
1843.1 Letter from “Willis” (Nathaniel parker) 10,000 people July 5 EF; Penobscots with baskets for sale; EF “finest public pleasure ground in the world”; jugglers and rope dancers; flying horses, great yellow gondola, oyster “crib” no “patent leather crowd” ie gents, but recommends for variety and pretty girls
1843.2 Ad, NY Eve Po: “a great benefit to all who, having been confined to a crowded city during the winter, require fresh air and healthful exercise”
1843.3 “The suicide bus. Has commenced for the season over at Hoboken. 2 suicides at EF, Sybils cave, ref to many prev.
1843.4 “In the woods or under the trees in the EF, those who wish for quiet can be as exclusive as they please” obl ref to sex?
1843.5 Race at EF Indians “and squaw” canoe vs a “crack club race boat ‘Thos. Jefferson’” after: grand war dance etc. cf Am Mus
1843.6 German band at EF
1843.7 NY Cricket Club founded at EF (staff PSOT)
1843.8* Magnolia club summoned to meet at EF in Novermber Protoball file 1843.6
1844.1 McCarty; gymnastic & strength exhib
1844.2 Perf Eissler (sic) Bros (Mr McCarty of “magnificent hotel at that place”) comic panto, Dr Sangrado, or Rire, Toujours Rire, cf famous Ravel family also “gymnastic exercises”
1844.3 AD: EF Gymnastic Exhib and panto etc Ellsler Bros. (theatrical family American), tableaux of Athenian games
1845.1 Rowing races; blackface entertainment
1845.2 Single wicket 1 on 1 cricket match BK Star CC
1845.3 Free exhib every pm at 3 pm: McCarty: Fakir of Angelina, Hindoo Festivities, etc. Magic show, Indian games, dancing/singing, acrobats, Burletta, “O’Connell, the celebrated tattooed dancer,” brass band.
[ENTERTAINMENT TYPICAL OF PLEASURE GARDENS]
FIRST TEAM SPORTS:
1845.4 Oct 21, 1845: “A Great Match at Base Ball” NY bbc vs Brooklyn Club at EF “will attract large numbers…” see also Protoball files 1845.4 and 1845.5
1845.5 October /25: See box score bb match return game at Brooklyn (and cricket matches incl H Wilson and A Barrett) Van Nostrand!
[CONNECTION TO GYMNASTICS?]
1845.6 July 15: NY Yacht Club regatta start from “anchorage off EF”
1845.7 In front of McC’s Hotel a stage back to river 20 feet wide/deep (Young Francisco aka fakir of Angelina misses Barber dancers, descr. NYYC clubhouse,
1845.8 Beacon Race Track at EF closed
1846.1 EF “considerable improvement w/in last few months”. New bldgs., new hotel nr ferry Mr T Swift, “Atlantic Hotel”, “We were happy to see the Knickerbocker Cricket Club (sic) in full operation upon these grounds. Their playing excited much attention…” [ff. KBBC mistaken for “cricket” club!]
1846.2. “Aquatic Sport at the EF, Hoboken” list of NYYC yachts incl E A Stevens
1846.3* Knicks lose match game to New York Nine, 23-1, at EF See also Protoball 1846.1
1846.4* NYC paper decries lack of suitgable Manhattan playing space See Protoball file 1846.22
1847.1 Temperance MTG at EF; pres, NYS Gov Wm Bouck (Dem)
1847.2 Sched. of ferry trips to EF, Canal via 19th St 15 min canal to 19th, 15 min 19th st to EF
1847.3* Henry Chadwick tries playing base ball at EF see Protoball file 1847c.1
1847.4* Knicks property at EF robbed, three coats taken See Protoball file 1847.21
1848.1: Ad emph security
1848.2* Knicks open season at EF, change playing days to Monday and Thursday See Protoball file 1848.20
1849.1 Nine boats per diem Hoboken to Barclay St until 12 o clock
1849.2 “A most superb game of old-fashioned base-ball” at EF. KBBC v “amateurs” (pick up team) amateurs won 11-4. Amateurs challenged KBBC to rematch for a chowder. A’s incl. editors of the American Statesman and Nat. Pol Gaz, scored by Dr Walters NYC coroner. [G Wilkes played?] Tom asserts that "OFBB" here reflects a game played by Knick rules, not as throwback versions of earlier folk play -- LMc
1849.3* New "Pewter Mug" group plays 8-player ball at EF See Protoball file 1849.16
1850.1 : May 21: Germans celeb Feast Pentecost, drilling (“socialists”), gymn, singing
1851.1: Christian Advocate: during past yr 150 houses of 1st class erected 200 more predicted for next yr; pop c 3k 1k more by may, incl many French and Germans – moral improvement: no longer duels prize fights, races etc. “Sabbath breaking is practiced beyond a parallel” 20k on one Sun!
1851.2 May 27: EF Riot: 10k Germans May Festival to Fox Hill (site of Columbus Park?) near EF, broken up by NY rowdies, 4-12 dead 100s wounded, NYC PD refused to help [KBBC game broken up!]
1851.3 May 28: Germans vs “short boys” rioters broke hotel windows, vand houses, houses of …MR Wright (Sam?) riddled with stones; short boys fight at McCarty’s: knife fight, shooting at race course, Germans pursued short boy into McCs, family barely escaped; Mr McC def self with shotgun, Mrs McC beaten, robberies german victims
1851.4 Jury in Dutch Fight: “one juror proposed closing EF ”and adjacent pleasure grnds” as “injurious to the peaceable inhabitants of Hoboken…” others disagreed; Germans in Hoboken discuss forming militia
1851.5 July 31:woods surr EF transformed into “beautiful park”, marshy parts drained, opening broad and winding carriage rd mile and a half, “if ever the property shd pas from the hands of the Messrs. Stevens, it wd in our opinion, be highly important to the city of NY to secure it as a place of public resort in perp” Gypsies (“tinkers”) from UK settled nr EF
[Central Park begins condemn eminent domain 1853, C and V plan 57, ext to 110 st 63 ]
[gradual pressure to acc working class activities, incl sports and perf arts]
1851.6 Sept 23: Target Company outing Junior Vandeveer Grd (Bkln) at EF
1851.7 Hoboken Land Company (Stevens) requirements quick bldg. plus standards
1852.1 March 5: Michael McCarthy (sic) prop Pavilion EF “killed by the accidental discharge of a fowling-piece”
1852.2 July 5: Mrs McC fired black waiters of Pav, hired white (Irish) replacements, customers complained and she reversed. Irish ex waiters attacked a black waiter Chas Williams 20-1, stabbed him to death.
[A-A vs Irish competition in waiter prof. A-A had won $16 salary vs 12$ for others]
1852.3 August 1: 8Cricket match Star CC of upstate club - LMc West Utica vs NYC at EF “great many spectators…ladies”
1853.1* Observer depicts diverse EF crowds, includes thw health-imparting sport, base ball" See Protoball file 1853.9
1854.1 Rich cannot enjoy EF because “common”
1855.1 EF as usual were vis by a large crowd and among them some of the light-fingered gentry, who relieved a German of a valuable gold watch and another of his portmonnaie.
1855.2 Sept 7: EF “great crowds of the ‘fancy’” [gamblers?] to see bb and cricket; cc made up mostly of Englishmen; “BB is quite national; the boys learn it in school” “Hoboken is now princ given over to the sporting gentry. It was formerly a fav aft resort of nurses and children and quiet family after dinner parties, but rowdyism has made the place its own.”
1855.3 Outrage in the EF: rape charge
1855.4* Herald: Knicks, Eagle, Empire play at EF, Gothams at Red House, Excelsiors at Brooklyn See Protoball file 1855.19
1855.5* Spirit: In 7-game home-and-home rivalry, between Knicks and Gothams from 1853 to1855, Knicks win 4, tie 1, lose 2. See Protoball file 1855.21
1855.6* Spirit: In beating Gothams 22-7 at EF, Knicks are top-ranked in base ball See Protoball file 1855.22
1856.1* Empires fields two :behind" players at EF game See Protoball file 1856.32
1855.7* Herald: "Wadsworth hits too many foul balls" in June EF game See Protoball file 1855.30
1856.1* Chadwick happens upon EF game -- later says it showed him that "baseball was just the game for Americans" (see HBH, page36)
1857.1 Cricket ground, 157 acres, EF “provided gratuitously for NYers” [field was built before 1857 <date known?> -- LMc]
1857.2* Clipper suggests visit to EF, "any fine day" to see the exciting new pastime See Protoball file 1857.33
1857.3* Times: July Eagles-Gothams game at EF attracts "thousands of ladies and gentlemen" to the grounds" See Protoball file 1857.39
1859.1* Serious base ball accident (perhaps this is the fielding fatality at Protoball file 1859.28?)
1859.2* US/England cricket match attended by 24,000 at EF See Protoball file 1859.3
1859.3* Virginia militia members watch base ball at EF See Protoball file 1859.73
[Mid to late 50s: decline in social status: dep of NYYC, Turtle Club see ff]
1860.1 Circa: Hoboken Turtle Club moves to Manhattan
1860s.1 [Transition to sporting venue spectators, paid att]
1861: EF contains North (Mutual and Gotham) and South bb Grounds (Eagle and Empire)
1861.2.* EF Benefit game held for Jim Creighton and Dickie Pearce (see HBH, page 196)
1861.3* Wilkes SOT: EF to benefit from 40 members of Seventh National Guard from 90-day hitches (see HBH, page 286)
1863.1: Desrc club rooms of KBBC, Goth Eagle Empire Mutual Active
1865.1 New base ball ground on North Field EF Hoboken by Mutuals Pres John Wildey Is this also known as 'West field'? -- LMc
1865.2 St Geo CC lost grnds at Hoboken, staged exhibition at Central Park to show effect on grass
1865.3* Mutuals rent all of EF for play by professional and amateur players Se Protoball file 1865.12
1867.1* [found by Bob Tholkes, Oct 2022] "The Elysian Fields and the adjoining property, at Hoboken, have been sold to the Pacific Railroad Company . . . All ball clubs therefore, in the habit of playing at Hoboken, should prepare for a change of quarters." Ball Players Chronicle, 10/31/1867.
1867.2* Stevens prohibits interclub games at EF, allows practice games -- Mutual Club is reported leaving EF" "The Mutual Club have left the Elysian Fields, in consequence of Mr. Stevens . . . having prohibited anything but practice games . . . [Police Gazette, 1867] (from John Thorn)
1869.3* Hoboken tells police to disallow "any base ball playing within the city limits." (from Jon Popovich 10/24; chron entry in process)
1869.1 Weird attempted drowning child
1869.2* 4-24-69 New York Clipper says that due to railroad construction and other improvements, soon EF will not be a venue for first class baseball games
1870.1 Find of counterfeit $
1871.1 April -- “Last season crowds of roughs used to gather there every evening and annoy the reg ballplayers so much that finally the Hoboken auth interfered and put a stop to ballplaying ex by clubs having spc perm from city” – S Field only KBBC Eag Social allowed N Field Goth Col Coll club. Western Fld set apart for newspaper nines
1871.2 Gang fight
1871.3 “prob last season of the once famous EF as a place of resort for our metro bbcs” march of improvement, rr trax cut thru Mut field, part of ext Wash Street; another street cut planned next yr; lower fld (KBBC) intact but by another yr or so… C T Perry and Son mgrs. EF for so many yrs, keep clubhouse etc .. doomed
[departure of pros, top clubs]
1875.1 : 3000 spectators Hoboken BBC v Flyaway NYC at EF
1877.1 Trotting course
1878.1 Body dead child found EF
1879.1 First ann fall games NJ Ath club @ EF
1879.2 Student At Stev Inst suicide at EF; NJ Yacht Club at EF (8th ann regatta)
1880.1 : Reorg Eag BBC @ EF
1881.1 Suicide EF
1883.1 Suicide + death accident?
1884.1 New ferry 14th St NYC to 14th St Hoboken EF; death
1884.2 Reminiscence EF, loss thereof, suicide record/stats
1885.1 Shanty on 19th St near EF used as rendezvous for “abandoned men and women”
1886.1 : Manhattan cc founded c 30 years ago played old fox hill c ground at Hoboken occupied by old NY CC, then occ grounds of their own at EF, then to grounds leased by Stev Inst and St G club. (Hudson City) relo to Pros Park BK
1886.2 Party of young men insulted wives of “several Italians,” knife fight
1886.3 : Coney Island , Central Park replacing EF et al
1887.1 Acc death near EF
1887.2 Cuban Giants to play at EF!
1888.1 Digging for Doubloons at EF – story that pirate buried treas there “Like days of 49” “high board fence around bb ground”
1888.2 Colored Champ’ship played at EF July
1888.3 Bway theater employees vs 14th St theater at EF
1888.4 Suicide
1888.5 Lawn Tennis tournament at EF
1888.6* [Added by Irwin Chusid, October 2022] "Negro league championship matches" were played in 1888.
1889.1 Nola T=P nostalgia for old EF
1890.1* [Reported by Irwin Chusid, October 2022] "The Hoboken Pioneer and the Independent Pioneer [c]lubs will play a match game of baseball at the Elysian Fields on next Saturday." Jersey City News, July 1890 .
Irwin notes that "ball games were played at the EF through at least 1890 . . . .
1895.1 NYT remin about forgotten EF: colonnade demolished ‘a short time ago” once known as “cannon lots” Stevenses experiments with artillery
1901.1 base ball played at St G cricket grnds “gold mine” terr dispute
1903.1 NYYC regains old clubhouse
1904.1 original NYYC house moved to Glen cove
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Characterizing Ballgames at Elysian Fields; What Protoball Knows
L. McCray, Version 1.4, 11/4/2022
Researchers have contributed information on well over 3000 early ballgames to Protoball.org.'s PrePro Database. As of November 2022, the PrePro Database includes about 200 contributed game accounts for New Jersey's Elysian Fields. A not-especially thorough 3-hour/4-hour review of these data points leads to these rough impressions of the nature of ballplaying there:
[] From late 1845 to 1853, most games were intramural contests among the Knickerbockers; over 100 such games are entered. Most were held by the Knickerbocker ball club. I see only 6 games involving other clubs before 1853, two of which were intermural games for other clubs (Gotham/NYBBC in 1845). For this eight-year period, I see only 4 interclub 'games at EF, three of them in 1845-6 and one in in 1851 (Knicks v. Gotham).
[] Starting in 1853, however, the majority (roughly 90% of the 80 reported EF games) are interclub games. Overall, 30 or 31 different clubs played at EF.. Among the eight most active clubs, the Eagle Club played most frequently-- in 34 games against 10 different opponents, starting in 1854. The Gotham/Washington/NYBBC club appeared in 25 interclub matches against 4 clubs from 1845 to 1861. The Knickerbocker Club appears in 22 interclub matches from 1845 to its last one in August 1859. The Empire Club appears in 18 matches starting in 1854. The Mutual Club appears in 14 matches from 1858 on. Other matches featured the Eckford (9 games), the Excelsior (8), and the Alpine (6) clubs (6). One account reported on two teams from a fire company.
[] Given the likely travel distance from home, we might be surprised to see that the Eckford (9 matches) , Excelsiors (8 matches) Atlantic (two matches) and Enterprise (2 matches) -- all from Brooklyn -- made the (two-ferry?) voyage to EF, where they played against Manhattan opponents. . Maybe they had been invited by Manhattan club hosts? From the more distant north, the Albany Knickerbockers appear once, in 1864. A short-lived Hoboken club is seen twice, playing the Eckfords and the Eagles in 1859.
[] A total of 23 EF matches appear for 1860, 14 for 1861, and only 8 after that, the last in 1864. EF managers may have lost its taste for crowds of fans in the later 1860s?
[] We have no reported matches for 1852, after only 6 in 1851. Cholera was known in that period -- but it was in other years, too.
Some open issues:
Would won-loss data or scores be useful for our purposes? (Not sure why it would, but we have them.)
Do we know of other written sources on this subject? (Feel free to suggest --or to perform --such!)
Reminder: This is simply a bean-counting effort -- it is not science. We have no reason to believe that the accounts that made their way to onto Protoball are a representative sample of the matches actually played in Hoboken
--
* the number of Knickerbocker games is boosted due to the preservation of the club's scorebooks. Non-Knick matches are mainly from Newspaper articles.
Larry M