Chronology:Corner Ball
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1857.46 Hundreds Gather to Watch Exciting Game of Corner Ball
"BALL MATCH --A great match at 'Corner Ball' came of at Strasburg on a recent Saturday afternoon. Hundreds of persons were on the ground to witness the play, and the greatest excitement prevailed. The match was between Lampeter and Strasburg, or rather the representatives of the respective townships. After a spirited contest, conducted in the best possible humor, the victor perched on the banner of Lampeter, and she was declared the victor. We are glad to notice the introduction of this healthy pastime, and hope the good practice will be continued. While it affords recreation and pastime to the weary son of toll, there is nothing in it to which the most stern advocate of morality can possibly object."
"Out-Door Sports," Porter's Spirit of the Times," March 14, 1857.
Lampeter PA is about 5 miles SE of Lancaster PA, about 60 miles NE of Baltimore MD, and about 20 miles N of the PA/MD border; it is the home of Lampeter-Strasburg High School. Its 2010 population was about 1700.
Corner Ball seems likely to be a plugging or "tagging" game resembling Dodge Ball. As of January 2016, Protoball lists 4 citations of Corner Ball; the other three are reported over two decades earlier, in the 1830s. For a bit more about the game, see http://protoball.org/Corner_Ball.
Can we speculate that the game was played by adults?