The San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 2, 1924, quoting the newsletter of Near East Relief, an American charity group, says the NER sponsored a baseball tournament for its orphanages in the Near East. "The winner this year was from the American orphanage for girls at Syre," who beat a boys team 19-17 for the title. 

The games were played at Salonika (Thessaloniki).

Is this "Syre" Tyre in Lebanon? Or a variant spelling of Syria? Most probably "Syra" (island of Siros) in Greece, where the NER had a large refugee camp.

Buffalo Reflex, Sept. 25, 1869 reports that "Buffalo now boassts of a full-fledged base ball club."

Grace Christie, "Baseball in Medicine Hat," article online at www.attheplate.com:

"Baseball was popular in the Territory from 1883-1905.

With the formation of a baseball association in 1888 interest really perked up. The Medicine Hat Baseball Club announced that it was prepared “to play any nine in the northwest for fun, money or marbles.” (Med Hat Times, July 6, 1888) Before the 1888 season was finished the Medicine Hat boys played teams from Calgary, Lethbridge and Donald, BC, winning most of their games.

The Baseball Association also upgraded the baseball diamond with much effort and money raised voluntarily. Some considered it the finest diamond in the entire Northwest. It was located on the North side of the river near the railroad bridge.

The year 1888 saw the Medicine Hat baseball team do well playing throughout the Territory and entertaining many teams at home. On July 1, 1888 Lethbridge was in town to play the Medicine Hat team. According to the Medicine Hat Times of July 6, 1888, the home team got 6 runs in the first inning and then had many errors in the next inning allowing Lethbridge to score runs. The final score was 17-15 in favour of the home team! The Times also mentioned that “umpiring by Engineer James Fisher was perfect, if umpiring can be brought down to perfection and he was pronounced the best umpire in the land.”

The return match with Lethbridge was scheduled for August 6, 1888. Players and fans left Medicine Hat by train at 3 AM. The train arrived in Lethbridge at 11:15 AM and the game started at 2:30 PM. The final score was 13-10 for Medicine Hat."

The Prince Albert Times, April 8, 1887 reports that Medicine Hat has 2 BBCs.

Medicine Hat was founded in 1883, and incorporated as a city in 1898.

According to the IBAF website, the Baseball and Softball Federation of Slovenia was founded in 1987.

In the 1980s a Slovenian team of Ljubljana played some Italian teams. In 1989 a Slovenian team defeated the Partizans of Belgrade, Serbia.

Slovenia joined the Confederation of European Baseball in 1993. The next year its team qualified for the top-tier European championships.

The website lists 12 clubs over the years, 6 of which were active as of 2013.

From the Rockland County Journal, May 3, 1856:

"Organization of a Base Ball Club at Piermont. At a meeting held in Piermont on the 17 ult., for the purpose of organizing a Base Ball Club, Isaac D. Blauvelt was appointed president, and Edward Haring secretary, pro tem. After various propositions, the name of BELDING BASE BALL CLUB OF PIERMONT, was unanimously adopted. Officers for the currant [sic] year we [sic] then chosen, as follows: Richard Wandle, President: Reuben R. Carr, Vice President: Edward Hering, secretary: Henry Hoffman, Treasurer: Henry L. Belding, A. V. Wandle, and Isaac D. Baluvelt, Directors. The regularly appointed playing days are Wednesdays and Saturdays.

"This is the first club of this kind organized in this County, and we should be pleased to find it leading to similar organizations in our other villages. A similar club in Nyack might be made productive of much innocent and healthful amusement, and by playing against each other, the clubs of Rockland County might soon be able to compete with some of the best clubs around New York in what now has become one of the most fashionable games of the day. What say you young gentlemen, shall we have more Base Ball Clubs?"

The Belvidere Standard, July 28, 1874: "Elgin has a club called the Bluff City."

Chicago Inter Ocean July 27, 1875 has the box score of a game between the Liberty of Chicago and the Bluff City of Elgin, played Saturday at Elgin.  Later on that year the Bluff City beat Bloomington in Chicago and claimed the state amateur championship. The Franklins of Chicago beat the Bluff City that October.

Alft's Elgin has a photo of the 1875 Bluff City team. The Bluff City was the city's premier team at the time.

Charles Comiskey pitched for the Bluff City in 1877. See the Elgin Daily News, Sept. 22, 24, 1877

Quickstep and Gail Borden BBCs are mentioned in 1876-77. See the Elgin Daily Times, May 26, Sept. 1, 1877; Elgin Advocate, Sept. 2, 1876

The Belvidere Standard, Oct. 19, 1869 reports that the Atlantics of Belvidere had played that year the Whirlwinds and Unknowns of South Belvidere, and the Lightfoot and Clippers of Marengo.

The Fairbanks Daily Times, May 28, 1916, has a long article on Anchorage, a new town founded less than a year before. It notes that Anchorage has a baseball grounds, on which last July 4th the town boys played the town girls.

Freedman, "Diamonds in the Rough" p. 14 says that Anchorage was a tent city in 1915. Yet employers asked new residents whether they could play baseball. An Anchorage-Seward baseball rivalry started in 1916.

Photos of baseball in Anchorage in 1915 can be seen at https://www.anchoragemuseum.org/exhibits/home-field-advantage-baseball-in-the-far-north/baseball-in-the-far-north/

Anchorage AK is about 300 miles S of Fairbanks.

From Protoball Entry #1859.4 – Base Ball Club Forms in Augusta GA: Town Ball Played Also – or Instead?

"Baseball Club formed in Augusta in 1859," unidentified clipping at the Giamatti Research Center, Cooperstown, September 15, 1985. Per Millen note # 42.

"Town Ball. – On the 24th ult., the young men of Augusta, Ga., met on the Parade Ground, and organized themselves in two parties for enjoying a friendly game at this hearty game." They played two innings, and "W.D.'s side scored 43, squeezing the peaches on P. B.'s, who managed only 19. Source: The New York Clipper (date and page omitted; date inferred from Mears scrapbook placement). Facsimile from page 25 (column 3, third story) of a Mears Collection scrapbook, provided by Craig Waff, September 2008.

Query: Is there any indication that Association rules were used by the reported club? Why would a newspaper call the modern game "town ball?"

NOTE -- Because of uncertainty in the rules used in this game, the fact that it was termed "town ball," and further doubt about the year it was played, we are in October 2012 designating the February 1860 game in Macon as Georgia's first game played by Association rules. Perhaps more definitive evidence can be found.

This game report is from the Augusta Daily Constitutionalist, Nov. 26, 1859.

The Augusta Constitutionalist, Dec. 21, 1859, has an ad for the regular meeting of the "Base Ball Club of Augusta" that evening, at the Clinch Rifles Drill Room. Signed W. C. Barber, Secy. and Treas.

Baseball arrived in Moldova in 1987. The country's baseball and softball federation was formed in 1993.

The "club of Chisinau" notation above is to give a name and city to Moldovan baseball, per this website's requirements. There was/is such a club, but the year of its founding has not been found. The Scorpion Club of Chisinau was the national champs 2002-2003. Chisinau (then, Kishinev) teams won the championships 1993-201.

Bob Burke, "Baseball in Oklahoma City" (2003), p. 7: "By the fall of 1889 [the year the city was founded], Oklahoma City's first baseball grandstand was built near the location of the present Municipal Building.... The ballpark was thrown up quickly to host a series of games between Oklahoma City and its biggest rival, the team from Oklahoma Territory capitol city Guthrie."

Guthrie OK (current pop. about 10,000)is about 30 miles N of Oklahoma City. It was founded in 1889 and was for a while the territorial capital.

The Juneau "Daily Alaska Dispatch" May 21, 1900 says Skagway's "boys" 15-17 challenge the Juneau boys to a baseball game. Same June 12, 1901 says Juneau "whalloped" Douglas last Sunday 11 to 4. Same July 17, 1901 has the Ketchikan club challenging Juneau, the state champions. The Juneau "Alaska Mining Record" April 5, 1899 says our newsboy union's members are playing baseball on the muddy street "in front of the post office..." The Fairbanks "Daily News-Miner," June 1, 1910, reports than in the annual three-cornered baseball tournament at Whitehorse, the Juneau club won over Whitehorse, Skagway and Douglas Island.

Juneau is Alaska's capitol. The article implies that the tournament had been played the year before.

Juneau AK (1900 pop. about 1,850) is on the Alaska panhandle and about 750 miles SE of Fairbanks.

The Atlanta Constitution, Feb. 27, 1891, reports that a "Florida League" is forming or has formed, the season to last 3 months, with teams at Leesburg, Ocala, Gainesville, Orlando, Jacksonville and St. Augustine. This is confirmed in the Sporting Life, Dec. 20, 1890 ("a club organized at Ocala"), Jan. 10, 1891 (Jacksonville defeated Ocala, both clubs composed of northern pros) and Jan, 24, 1891 (Tampa defeating the Ocala Greats).

The Pittsburgh Daily Post, Feb. 25, 1889, had reported that T. F. Wilson of Leesburg was recruiting players for a "Florida League."

Reach's 1892 Baseball Guide reports that a 4-club "Florida State League" was formed Jan. 18, 1892 in Ocala, with teams at St. Augustine, Jacksonville, Tampa and Ocala. Reach says the season is to last 48 games and is the first regularly formed Florida baseball league. This is the league reported on in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb. 4, Feb. 18, 1892, with Brooklyner John Montgomery Ward leading 16 of his teammates to join the Ocala team in "a four club league, regularly organized and bearing franchises, just like the leagues of the north." "Johnny" Mack is captaining the Tampa team.

For more on Brooklyn's adventures in this league, see Sporting Life March 12 and March 26, 1892.

The league was short-lived. Boston Herald, March 6, 1892: "Diamond Gossip. The Florida State League has disbanded." Reach's 1893 Guide, p. 125 notes that the league was founded to give practice to visiting major league clubs, and disbanded March 1st.

That same year the Phillies traveled to Gainesville for a month of "spring training."

The Milwaukee Daily Sentinel, Sept. 7, 1867: a Manitowoc Base Ball Club is quoted as dissing the slow play of the Racine club.

Plumb, A History of Manitowoc County, p. 238: "In 1868 the papers recorded a game between the Manitowoc and Sheboygan Falls teams, in which the score was 104 to 59 in favor of the former.... In 1874 the Clipper Boys club was organized, and a year later the Lakeside Base Ball Club."

The Plumb book names the nine players of the 1868 team: Clark (Job Clark 1847-1937 or his brother William?), Sherman (Eugene S. Sherman 1847-1916?), Enert, Nelson (Julius, captain of the Manitowoc nine in the 1870s?), Power, Gayles (Frank (b. 1852) or George (1855-86) Gayles, sons of sea captain John F. Gayles?), Reed, Woodin (George B. bc 1850, son of District Attorney George N. Woodin?), and Smith.

This is the Hittemhard BBC. See the Manitowoc Tribune, June 11, 1867, May 14, 1868

The Yankton Press and Daily Dakotaian, June 18, 1880: "Menno enjoys base ball games and leap year dances."

Menno was laid out in 1879. It had 52 residents in 1880.

Bob Burke, "Baseball in Oklahoma City" (2003), p. 7: "By the fall of 1889 [the year the city was founded], Oklahoma City's first baseball grandstand was built near the location of the present Municipal Building.... The ballpark was thrown up quickly to host a series of games between Oklahoma City and its biggest rival, the team from Oklahoma Territory capitol city Guthrie."

Oklahoma City's pop. in 1890 was about 44000.

The Emporia Weekly News, Aug. 2, 1872, reports that the club of Parkerville recently beat a scrub nine of Emporia--not the Jayhawkers of Emporia, which disbanded the year before.

From Protoball Entry #1860.43 –- Three Ball Clubs Form in VT Village

"As if to anticipate and prepare for the dread exigencies of war, then impending, by a simultaneous impulse, all over the country, base ball clubs were organized during the year or two preceding 1861. Perhaps no game or exercise, outside military drill, was ever practiced, so well calculated as this to harden the muscles and invigorate the physical functions. . . .

"Three base ball clubs were formed in this town, in 1860 and 1861. . . . They were sustained with increasing interest until 1862, when a large portion of each club was summoned to war."

Hiel Hollister, Pawlet [VT] for One Hundred Years (J. Munsell, Albany, 1867), pages 121-122. Available via Google books: search "base ball""pawlet". Accessed 11/14/2008. Pawlet VT [current pop. c1400] is on the New York border, and is about 15 miles east of Glens Falls NY. Note: This is the first VT item on base ball in the Protoball files, as of November 2008; can that be right? Earlier items [#178.6, #1787.2, #1828c.5, and #1849.9] all cite wicket or goal. Chester VT's 3044 souls today live about 30 miles north of Brattleboro and 35 miles east of the New York border.

Open Issue: Is there a way to ascertain whether this club played by Association rules?

From Protoball Entry #1850s.18 – Baseball's Beginnings at U Penn?

"Baseball was first played by Penn students before the Civil War when the University was still located at its Ninth Street campus. The game was probably played casually by students in the 1850s."

http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/features/sports/baseball/1800s/hist1.html, as accessed 1/3/2008. No reference is supplied.

The "Brazilian American" Sept. 17, 1921 issue, p. 14 has the Sao Paolo club challenging the Rio De Janeiro BBC for a championship. The long article gives the names of the players, who appear to be Anglo.

The 1920 Year Book of American Chamber of Commerce of Brazil, p. 47 reports that Rio and Sao Paolo BBCs played each other in 1920.

"Our Navy" vol. 16 (1922) details several baseball games at Rio between the Rio A. C. and the club of the USS Nevada. The Rio club players all had Anglo names.

A 1925 navy report has the American colony in Rio playing baseball on July 4th.

New York Clipper, July 13, 1867: "The Santa Fe Club of Santa Fe, N.M., played a practice game lately, when Wheelock's side beat Keating's by a tally of 24 to 16." This game was reported in the Santa Fe Weekly Gazette, June 15, 1867.

"Wheelock" is undoubtedly Samuel Brown Wheelock (1840-79), a Santa Fe merchant who'd been captain in the 149th NY during the Civil War.

The Santa Fe New Mexican, Dec. 16, 1868, mentions a recent game at Las Vegas NM between the Santa Fe BBC and the Bradley BBC of Fort Union.

The New York Clipper, April 23, 1870, under the headline "Base Ball and other Sports in New Mexico," reprints a letter from a Santa Fe resident claiming "We have a good base ball club, having in the composition some known to a few of your readers.." such as "Jim McKenzie" of Peoria and "Charlie Martin" of Washington. The letter claims that this club has played games, and is the champion of the territory.

The Santa Fe Daily New Mexican, Aug. 22, 1872, says a base ball game will be played next Saturday. "It is nearly a year since the last game was played here." Same Aug. 30 reports on this match game between the military and the citizens.

As of January 2021, this club appears to be the first formed in New Mexico.

In 1870, Santa Fe's population was about 4,800.

The Buffalo (NY) Express, March 28, 1909, citing a "World Mirror" article by Wadsworth Haynes on baseball around the world, says that "two years ago" "a team from Sao Paolo, Brazil" traveled to Buenos Aries, Argentina, and played a six game series there against a team of Americans who resided in Buenos Aries.

The "Brazilian American" vol. 4 p. 14 (Oct. 15, 1921) reports that a baseball club of the Armour Meat packing company plant in Sao Paulo recently defeated a Japanese team. The Sept. 17, 1921 issue, p. 15, has a much longer article on this game, in which the Armour Baseball Club defeated the Mikado Japanese-Brazilian club 19-7 at Anastacio Park. The Armour club was almost entirely Anglo, judging by the names of the players. p. 14 of that issue has the Sao Paolo club challenging the Rio De Janeiro BBC 

The 1920 Year Book of American Chamber of Commerce of Brazil, p. 47 reports that Rio and Sao Paolo BBCs played each other in 1920.

City name also spelled Sao Paulo.

The Scranton Club of Scranton PA is listed in Peverelly [1866]. a

An account of the base ball career of Scranton banker James Linen states:

"It is not known if he played any ball during [Civil] war time but when the conflict came to an end and soon after establishing himself in Scranton, the 25 year old former [Newark]Eureka pitcher helped organize the Wyoming club on May 6, 1865 with a bunch of local businessmen.

"The first match of the Wyomings came against the Susquehanna Club of Wilkes Barre."

The club took on the Athletic BBC of Philadelphia in 1866, losing 49-4. That year the club's name changed to the Scranton BBC. It disbanded in 1870.

The St. Paul (MN) Globe July 31, 1885 reports that Watertown played Marshall Minnesota a game recently and, thinking the umpiring was a farce, demands a rematch.

Same, Sept. 19, 1887 reports that Watertown claims the championship of the Dakotas, having beaten the Fargo club, champs of North Dakota. Watertown won 34 of 40 games this year against teams from Dakota, Iowa and Minnesota, under coach/3b James Cantillion (Cantillon?).

The Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Sept. 14, 1887: "Watertown still continues to be the base ball Mecca." Same, Aug. 10, 1887 reports that a  Red River Valley Base Ball league is forming, with teams from Fargo, Grand Forks, Fergus Falls and Wahpetoe. Watertown, Aberdeen and Huron will join later.

Watertown was founded in 1879.

Bob Rives' "Baseball in Wichita," pages 11-12, note that baseball reached the newly incorporated Wichita in 1874, citing the Wichita Beacon of that year as saying "The base ball mania has reached us." The book gives further 1874-75 newspaper excerpts commenting on the uniforms of the new club.

Kansas' largest city, Wichita KS (1870 pop. about 900; 1880 pop. about 5000) is in the central part of the state and about 200 miles SW of Kansas City KS.

"Base ball is decidedly on the rampage. We have to chronicle another victory for the Covington boys. There is a junior club in our sister city that 'travels' under the cognomen of Copec. The name is a mystery to most people, but to satisfy this curiosity we will say that the name was taken from a fast race hourse that ran on the Buckeye Course. As Copec is the name of the fast horse, so it is the name of a fast Base Ball Club.

The Copec Base Ball Club was organized on the 4th. day of October, 1866, and has never been beaten but once, and then they were 'waxed' by the Queen City Club, of Cincinnati, last year some time, the date we do not remember."

Covington KY lies across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. It was the 56th largest US city in 1860, with a population of about 16,500.

Pajot, The Rise of Baseball in Milwaukee, pp. 15-17, says the Cream City Jrs. club of Milwaukee lost to the Beloit Jrs. 41-40 at the Sept. 1867 state tournament.
The next year this team changed  its name to the Atlantic.

The Newnan Herald, April 18, 1868: "The Crescent Base Ball Club is now organized..."

It costs $1 per year for membership, and will practice near the cemetery. J. W. Wiley (the town mayor) is president. Gives names of board members.

Same May 9, 1868 gives the names of the 1st and 2nd nines, and announces an intersquad game that day.

Same Aug. 7, 1868 and Aug. 14, 1868 gives the box score of a game between Capt. Wright's nine and Capt. John Robinson's nine.

William D. McCain’s "The Story of Jackson" (1953), p. 213 says the Pioneer Club of Jackson defeated the Defiance Club of Hazlehurst 35-28 on July 14, 1874. The lineup of the Defiance is given.

The year given might be mistaken. The Jackson Weekly Clarion, July 21, 1875 reports that the Defiance of Hazlehurst beat the Pioneers of Jackson 35-28 at Hazlehurst on the 14th.

The Diamond State Base Ball Club was organized in Wilmington, Delaware, on October 2, 1865 in the office of attorney and first club president, Levi C. Bird.

The Diamond State Club of Wilmington, Delaware, is listed on page 507 in The Book of American Pastimes, by Charles Peverly. The delegates to the National Convention were S.H. Edgar and W.D. Mendenhall.

The modern Diamond State Baseball Club has a website which has lots on the history of this club. It says the home grounds in 1866 were at the Northwest corner of Delaware Avenue and Adams Street (near the cemetery). The next year the home grounds were at the terminus of the city railway (see Wawasset grounds).

"Dear Spirit – The baseball clubs of this city are in active preparation for their season, which promises to be a lively one. There are three or four clubs here. The Excelsior is the most prominent one, and is one of the pioneer clubs, having been in existence for a year or more."

Signed, "Chicago," May 1, 1859. Spirit of the Times, as referenced in Spink, The National Game, page 63.

In fact, the Excelsior club played games in 1858. See games compilation.

The Excelsior may have been formed in 1857. See the Chicago Republican (Inter Ocean), Aug. 17, 1865.

The Chicago Tribune, May 31, 1868, has an article on the new grounds of the Excelsior club, on State St. near 23rd, a fenced in area 475 x 700 "perfectly smooth and level" with an amphitheater for the fans and facilities for the players. The Chicago Tribune Aug. 15, 1865 says their grounds are at the corner of May and West Lake Sts.

This club was Chicago's most prominent, often its most successful. See the Morris book on Baseball Pioneers. It dissolved in 1868. See the Chicago Tribune, Nov. 7, 1868.  

The Chicago Tribune, Jan. 26, 1868, had the 1867 records and stats for the Excelsior, Eureka and Atlantic BBCs.

The Mobile Register, July 9, 1868, under the headline "Base Ball at Spring Hill" reports that the St. Elmo team is to play the Excelsior team, which is made up of students of Spring Hill College.

Spring Hill was annexed by Mobile in the 1900s. Spring Hill College is an old Jesuit College. Cuhaj, "Baseball in Mobile" pp. 9, 15 says that the college students played baseball among themselves as early as 1860. The book cites the reminiscences of Nemesio Guillo, a Cuban who attended the college starting in May 1860 and later said he learned the game of baseball while at the school. 

Spring Hill was a Catholic school where many of New Orleans' wealthy families sent their sons. Seeing as how baseball was played in New Orlaans in 1859, many of these students would, by 1860 at least, have been exposed to baseball prior to attending.

In 1922 an American expatriate, Stepanos Darius, "organized the first Lithuanian Baseball League, with a club called 'Lietuvos Fizinio Lavinimois [sic] Sajunga'  from Kaunas winning the first championship. The following year  Lithuanian team called Aviacijos took the country's first international victory, beating a squad from Estonia 11 to 7. In 1924 Darius took the essential step of translating the rules of baseball from English to Lithuanian." See Chetwynd, Baseball in Europe (McFarland, 2008), p. 215.

The LFLS (Lithuanian Union of Physical Exercise) seems to have been an umbrella organization covering other sports as well.

From Protoball Entry#1858.19 – First KY Box Score Appears in Louisville Newspaper

"The beginnings of [Louisville] baseball on an organized basis are also lost in the mists of the 19th century. There were probably neighborhood teams competing within the city in the 1850s. But the first recorded box score in local papers appeared in the July 15, 1858 Daily Democrat. Two teams made up of members of the Louisville Base Ball Club faced one another in a contest where the final score was 52-41, a score not unusual for the period. The paper also notes that there were several other ball clubs organized in the city.

"Not much is known about the Louisville Base Ball Club. It was probably not more than a year or two old by the time of the 1858 box score."

"Chapter 1 – Beginnings: From Amateur Teams to Disgrace in the National League," mimeo, Bob Bailey, 1999, page 2.

The New York Clipper (date and page omitted from Mears Collection scrapbook; "July, 1858" annotated in hand) said: "BASE BALL IN LOUISVILLE – The game of Base Ball is making its way westward. In Louisville they have a well-organized club, called the �Louisville Base Ball Club.' Facsimile provided by Craig Waff, September 2008.

Louisville KY was the 12th largest US city in 1860, with a population of about 68,000.

Open Issue: can we ascertain the fact and names of the other local clubs? The date that the LBBC was established? Whether it played by Association rules?

Note: Peverelly lists the Louisville Club as organized in 1865. See page 114.

The Edwardsville Intelligencer Dec. 1, 1870 says that "last week" the Magnolia BBC had a ball to celebrate their one year anniversary. Same June 9, 1870 has the Magnolia defeating the Wide Awakes of Alton 50 to 34.

Same, May 19, 1870 has the Magnolia defeating the local Kunstausstellungagebaude team.

The New York Clipper, Oct. 15, 1870, reports that on the 29th ult. the Magnolias of Edwardsville beat the Mechanics of Litchfield 47-40.

Edwardsville Intelligencer July 6, 1871 says the Magnolia and Chargoggaggaggmanchoggogogg clubs have merged to form the Red Caps.

Same, Aug. 11, 1875, decries the rowdiness and drunkenness at baseball games in Edwardsville.

"He (Augustus Charles Bernays) was fond of outdoor sports and joined the first base ball club organized at McKendree College."

The College is at Lebanon, Illinois, which is about 25 miles east of St. Louis, MO. Bernays Bernays entered "the preparatory department" of the College in September 1866 at age 12.

See article, sources and notes for Seattle Alkis club. While all the information for the Newcastle club is so far gleaned from information and reminiscences about the Seattle Alkis, the Newcastle club had issued the initial open challenge for any clubs in King County seeking to play. This led to Seattle forming a club to take that challenge.

In an article from The Seattle Times, February 1, 1931, Alki Jim Warren states, in response to a claim about Harry Jacobs of the University of Washington being the first to use a curveball in Seattle, "He may have been the first curver in Seattle, but the first one in the Northwest I remember was Jim Fairburn, who came from New York and was immediately signed by Newcastle. Those miners would do anything to beat us. Fairburn pitched twice against us, but we beat him both times. Once Ed Gifford, a 17-year old boy, pitched for us and still we won. Jacobs learned to throw a curve by watching Fairburn. However, he got to be pretty good at it, for he won a lot of games after the Alkis broke up in '79."

Newcastle WA is about 10 miles SE of Seattle, but in the 1870s may have been a more distant trip if one or both of two bridges had not yet been built. Its curret population ia about 10,400.

Don Korte's "Galena's Baseball Legacy" says in 1870 the Paddy Whacks of Sinsinawa beat the Crescents of Galena 34-29 and in September of that year beat the Mound City Club of Platteville, thereby claiming themselves the champions of "Southwest Wisconsin."

The Springfield (MA) Republican, June 13, 1870, marveled that: "Gloucester has 12,000 inhabitants and no base ball club!" The Gloucester "Cape Ann Advertiser" May 13, 1872 declared that "The base ball mania has never reached our town..." Same May 22, 1874, asked: "Have we a base ball club among us?" Evidently a club was forming. Same June 5, 1874: "A match game of base ball took place at East Gloucester on Saturday, between the Mutuals and the Eastern Club, of this city, the former winning by a score of 46 to 20." Charles Bevis, "The New England League: A Baseball History, 1885-1949" p. 38 says that in 1886 the Gloucester team dropped out of this league, which had been established the year before, due to lack of local interest. Gloucester is a fishing town northeast of Boston. I can only speculate that baseball interest was minimal here since most of the town's young men were usually out in the Atlantic fishing.

Gloucester MA (1890 pop. about 24,500) is about 30 miles NE of Boston. East Gloucester is a community of that city, on the eastern side of the bay.

"There will be a match game between the Nashville and Stonewall Base Ball Clubs, at two o'clock, to-day, at the terminus of the South Nashville Street Railroad. The prize being a beautiful Rosewood Bat, and the championship of Davidson County. The Bat being presented by Mr. Luck, the well-known variety dealer, on Church street. This promises to be one of the most interesting games of the season."

Jeffersonville (IN) National Democrat, March 18, 1875: "City News... The Ohio Falls Base Ball Club will not reorganize for the year 1875."

The Chicago Daily Inter Ocean, Sept. 30, 1876, mentions the Olympics Base Ball Club of Dolton, beating the Blue Socks of Blue Island on the 23rd 22-12. The Olympics have in the past year also beaten the teams from Kensington and Washington Heights.

Same, Aug. 31, 1876: "The Dalton [sic] base ball club is an object of admiration in the community."

The Dubuque Daily Times, Oct. 15, 1869 reports that yesterday at Fairplay, WI the Excelsiors of Dubuque  defeated the Paddy Whacks of Sinsinawa Mound 34-14.

Don Korte's "Galena's Baseball Legacy" says in 1870 the Paddy Whacks beat the Crescents of Galena 34-29 and in September of that year beat the Mound City Club of Platteville, thereby claiming themselves the champions of "Southwest Wisconsin."

Fairplay and Sinsinawa are adjacent to each other, just northeast of Dubuque.

Harrison, "Athletics for all" (a history of sports at Phillips Academy) has a lot on early baseball here. Evidently "bat-ball" games were popular here in 1811.By 1852-53 they were playing "base ball,' but the book suggests this was more like Rounders or MA ball. It was played informally by students, but in 1864, the first class nine was formed. The class of 1865 formed the Resolute club, and in this year the switch was made away from the MA, plugging, game, to the NY game.

The 1853 games were played in an open field in the rear of the Seminary buildings. One game was nine players versus eleven, with the nine winning 50-37.

The Boston Daily Advertiser, July 23, 1866 has the Lowell Cub of Boston playing the Phillips of Andover.

The Oslo Baseballklubb (Oslo Pretenders) has been the leading baseball team in Norway  since their founding in 1991, winning fifteen National Championships. In addition the Pretenders have won twelve League Titles. The team has also participated in the European Cub every year since 2001. 

The club's website says that baseball was started in Norway in 1991.

See, www.oslopretenders.com.

The Richmond Examiner, August 29, 1866 mentions the Richmond Junior Base Ball Club, and August 28 mentions the Spottswood Base Ball Club. Also formed that year were the Richmond, Pastime, and Union BBCs.

The Richmond Dispatch, Aug 27, 1866 says the Richmond Jrs. are to play the Stonewall BBC.

Richmond's population was about 38,000 in 1860 and 51,000 in 1870. 

The Brownsville Daily Ranchero, Nov. 23, 1866, reports on an 11-22 game between the 1st and 2nd nines of the baseball club, the former winning 15-6 in 5 innings. Charles Maurice is the captain of the 1st nine. Maurice was reported next year to be the captain of the Rio Grande BBC.

The Two Republics, an English language newspaper of Mexico City, reported on Nov. 20, 1869: "Base Ball on the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande Club of Brownsville played the opening game of a series with the Union Club of Matamoros, Mexico, on the grounds of the former, on Oct. 21st." Brownsville won, in a game shortened to 8 innings by darkness.

The Brownsville Daily Ranchero, Oct. 23, 1869, gives more detail, including a box score and the names of the players (8 on each side). The Brownsville team won 29-22. The Brownsville team was composed of local notables and a few army officers from nearby Fort Brown.

The San Antonio Express, Wednesday, January 8, 1868: "The Two Republics--A match game of Base Ball was played on the Plaza, Sunday afternoon, between nine of the Matamoros club and the Brownsville club, resulting in the defeat of the Brownsville boys.--Rio Grande Courier."

The New York Clipper, July 25, 1868  reports that on July 4th in Brownsville, the Rio Grande Club of the 26th US Infantry played the Hancock BBC of the 1st US Artillery.

There is "proof baseball existed in China as early as the 1860s. . . . The [Shanghai] rowing club was founded on May 1, 1863 . . . . And details about a loan the club took out that year make it clear that the Shanghai Base Ball Club was in existence already – a full decade before the date generally accepted for the first baseball game in Japan."

The [Shanghai] North China Herald, Feb. 10, 1866, mentions that the Shanghai Volunteers (a military unit of volunteers, of Europeans and Americans resident in Shanghai) have a rowing club, a cricket club, and "base ball club."

Same, April 14, 1866, notes that the Shanghai Base Ball Club has been given 2,000 tis. from the recreation fund--and the cricket club, 6,657 tis. This club is also mentioned in the Aug. 4, 1866 and Nov. 15, 1870 issues. The first notice of a specific game mentioned in that newspaper is in 1873.

"A Record of the Principal Sports at Hongkong and the Open Ports..." (1877) p. 228 gives the roster of the Shanghai BBC, F. Reid, President, L. F. Fisler, Sec/Treas. Gives the box scores of games May 7, 1876; Oct. 9, 1876 vs. Shanghai Cricket Club; and Nov. 25, 1876 vs. the US Navy.

A Hong Kong club played a Shanghai Club in Shanghai. See Protoball Clippings.

Only one year after the war, teams had been formed at Mount Pleasant, Des Moines and Council Bluffs. The very next year Des Moines alone had nine teams, including a young people's team called the Shirttail Rangers, composed of "jolly little urchins"

Approximate date, could be a year off. The school is now the National Normal University.

The Freeport Daily Journal, Aug. 29, 1866: "Base Ball Match. Star vs. Union. The Return Game." The Star won 37-27 four weeks ago. But on "Wednesday last" "on the grounds of the Star, in the rear of Mrs. Swett's residence" the Union won 28-26. The article gives a box score for both games.

The Freeport Daily Journal, April 3, 1867, reports that the "Union Base Ball Club of this city" just elected John Lewis president. Notes that the Union claims to be the junior champion of Freeport, having won 4 of 6 games last year against the Star of Freeport and the Farmers on Winnebago.

The Freeport Daily Journal, Aug. 21, 1867, reports that the Empires beat the Union 33-16 on the Union grounds. Gives a box score.

 Same June 30, 1869 notes that the Union beat "a nine of the old Empires" 29-14 on Monday afternoon.

The Freeport Daily Journal, July 20, 1870: "Base Ball. 'Unions' of Freeport vs. 'Potter Palmers' of Chicago." The Unions "waxed" the Chicagoans 32-12 on the Union grounds in Freeport.

The Belvidere Standard, Oct. 19, 1869 reports that the Atlantics of Belvidere had played that year the Whirlwinds and Unknowns of South Belvidere, and the Lightfoot and Clippers of Marengo.

Humber, "All I Thought About was Baseball" p. 90, 94, says that baseball reached Newfoundland (St. John's) in 1912. [Newfoundland was at this time separate from Canada.] In that year a team from Bell Island played in St. John's. The next year the Bell Island team played a number of games in St. John's.

The St. John's Evening Telegraph, May 1, 1914, under the headline "Wanderers Meet", reports "The Wanderers Baseball team held an enthusiastic meeting last night." The article mentions that the Wanderers are already part of a league, thus showing that baseball came to St. John's earlier than 1914, and indirectly confirms Humber's account.

Same May 26, 1914 reports the Wanderers lost to the Red Lions 5-2 "Tuesday afternoon."

Same May 29 reports "The Baseball League will meet shortly to arrange the fixtures for the coming season's games." The Bay Robert and Grand Falls teams have not yet been heard from.

Same June 9, 1914 reports a league meeting presided over by J. V. Havermale. The games are to be played at St. George's Field, and five teams are listed--the BIS, Wanderers, Shamrocks, Red Lions and Cubs.

By 1918 the Irish and Cubs teams are playing for the H. D. Reid Cup. See St. John's Daily Star, July 30, 1918. The cup was named after Harry Duff Reid, of a family prominent in local railroad and lumber enterprises. Harry's brother Robert G. Reid, an avid hockey player and golfer, is credited in some sources with introducing baseball to Newfoundland in 1913.

Baseball has thrived there. The MacCormack Trophy for the champion senior baseball team of Newfoundland was first awarded in 1948.

Waukegan Weekly Gazette-April 12, 1859

Base Ball Club-Waukegan can boast of one of those new fashioned institutions.  Waukegan we would have you understand is never behind the times in the prevailing fashions of the day so has a Base Ball Club like other cities.  We met on Tuesday Evening last a number of our citizens assembled at the rooms over Peter Edward’s jewelry store [the club room] and organized a Base Ball Club.  William C. Tiffany was called to the chair, and Wm. H. Wright acted a secretary.  The object of the meeting being stated by “Tiff” the chairman, which was heartily seconded by those present, it was decided that an organization of the kind be gotten up and put into working order at once.  A Constitution and By-Laws were adopted, and the following persons paid their regular fee [50 cents] and enrolled themselves as members of the club:  William C. Tiffany, John A. Mills, Wm J. Lucas, H.C. Hutchinson, Danl. Brewater, DP Millen, O.G. Buell, H.A. Hinckley, P.W. Edwards, Wm H. Wright, G.H. Ford, J.P. Nichols, J.W. Taft, A. Greenleaf, Geo. Cleveland, L.C. Dorsett, J.Y. Cory, Wallis Mills, T.G. Dickinson, Fred Canvers, E. Robbits. 

Twenty other gentlemen were proposed for membership, who will as no doubt present themselves at the next meeting, prepared “to ride the goat.”

 The officers elected for the ensuing year are:

John A. Mills-President

S.S. Greenleaf-Vice-President

Jas Y Cory-Secretary and Treasurer [editor of the Waukegan Gazette]

Wm H. Wright-Director

E. P. Ferry-Director

P.W. Edwards-Director

 At an adjourned meeting held on Thursday evening it was decided to have a meeting on the play grounds below the bluff in front of Mr. Dickinson’s office, on Saturday [this] afternoon at three o’clock.  The President appointed as Captain of the game to be played today.  Messrs Wm. H. Wright and Peter W. Edwards, who are to make their selections of players from the members of the club.

 We expect to see a large gathering of our citizens to witness the game, and there will no doubt be a crowd should the weather be propitious.  We think the “Waukegan Baseball Club” has started off under the most favorable auspices, and with harmony and action, it will prove a source of much enjoyment to our citizens particularly to those who are members of the club.

Waukegan Weekly Gazette-April 23, 1859

Base Ball Club- This institution-as it may now be considered one of our institutions-opened with the first game of Ball, as per announcement, on Saturday afternoon last.  Those who participated in the game, appeared to enjoy themselves to the fullest extent, as did also the large crowd of our citizens, who assembled to look on and see the fun.

The members of the Club do not consider themselves very well posted as yet in the rules and minutia of the game, consequently must not be expected to show off to quite as good advantage now, as when they are better practiced.  The Club will meet again to-day if the weather proves fine.  They are fixing up play grounds on the lot occupied by the Horse Growers Association, just west of the residence of Jas. McKay, Esq.

A club of the same name played the Lake Shore BBC in May 1867. This club probably morphed into the Acme Club.

The Belvidere Standard, Oct. 19, 1869 reports that the Atlantics of Belvidere had played that year the Whirlwinds and Unknowns of South Belvidere, and the Lightfoot and Clippers of Marengo.

"Previous to 1870, base ball was unknown in the villages of Michigan. . . . The first base ball club organized in Benton Harbor was known as the Wolverines. It was made up of the boys and young men of the village." [11 members are listed.] This club was organized in the year 1870. The members were: [11 names]. . . .

"In Benton Harbor the games were played on the Morton ball ground on Morton Hill."

"A favorite ball ground was the one near the old Congregational Church on East Main Street. . . . When playing practice games on this ground a few of the players would occasionally bat the ball to the top of the hill. Luck Hackley (light negro) had more home runs of this kind to his credit than any other player. . . . Luck Hackley was the most popular base ball man in the village."

Benton Harbor MI's pop. in 1870 was about 651. The town is about 180 directly W of Detroit, and on Lake Michigan.

Benton Harbor is near Lake Michigan in the southwestern corner of the state; it is about 35 miles N of South Bend IN and about 45 miles W of Kalamazoo MI.

Item A. "Base ball clubs were started in College a little over a year ago, and during all last fall the game was played, by the Sophomore and Junior classes, with a perfect vengeance. With the former, every afternoon, week in and week out, from the beginning of the first term, down to Thanksgiving, used to find the ball-ground pretty plentifully sprinkled with players and students, till about five minutes to four, when, suddenly, the field would be vacant."

Item B. "The honor of starting the first Base-Ball Club at Yale belongs to a member of Sixty-one – the member from Chittenango [NY]. During the first year (Junior) of the existence of the Club, the game was practiced with zeal and success – almost to the exclusion of boating. The subsequent year brought less favor. Fifty-two of the Class attached themselves to the first Base-Ball Club."

"The Young America Club will have their first game of Base Ball on Thursday, 30th, at the Red House [in Harlem].  The following are the names of the members of this Club:  George Bache, James Yardly, Jesse Lewis, John Wood, R. Sterling, W. Gantz, J. Taylor, K. Jewell, S. Smith, D. Blount, D Beach., H. Moer." 

 Commentary from Richard Hershberger, 5/8/2013:

The verb tenses notwithstanding, the date of that game was November 30.  I assume the press release was written before the game but published late.  I don't know if the game actually took place, or if the club ever met again.  I don't know of any subsequent mention of it, though this doesn't necessarily mean it didn't exist.  Some of those surnames pop up in later years.  I have never followed up on whether the first names match.  A surprising number of clubs formed in the late Fall, which would seem an unpropitious time of year for such things.  Do we count this club beyond 1854?  I guess not.  We have no evidence that they were active that year, any more than we do for the old Washington club the Knickerbockers played against in 1851 or so. [RH]

"In 1959 the Hamilton Young American and the Toronto Young Canadian baseball clubs competed in Canada's first intercommunity baseball game using the New York rules."

In 1860, a Buffalo paper wrote that the Hamilton Club was the first in the Canada to adopt Association rules. Buffalo Daily Courier, August 29,1860.

D. Flaherty and F. Manning, The Beaver Bites Back? American Popular Culture in Canada (McGill-Queens Press, 1993), page 155.

Query: Can we find the original source for this cite?

[edit] =

From William Humber's "Early Baseball in Canada" manuscript, 9/14/12:

The earliest formal baseball organization in Canada appears to be the Hamilton Young Canadians (later Maple Leafs) established in April 1854, playing on grounds between Bond Street (today’s Park Street) and Bowry (today’s Bay Street South) near the site of the newly built Central School. The team as described in the city’s directory of 1862-63 indicates that William Shuttleworth was President. Born in either 1833 or 1834 he is listed in census records as a salesman and owned a dry goods business until retiring in 1883. He later moved to Geneva, New York to live with his son James, and died there in 1903. James listed in the 1881 census as William’s 10 year old son was no doubt named after William’s late brother Jim, a fellow baseball enthusiast, who according to Bryan D. Palmer in Culture in Conflict had died in 1869 and was paraded to his grave site by his fellow shoemakers and other working-class men.

The New York Clipper, July 20, 1861: "Maple Leaf" Base Ball Club organized at Hamilton, Canada West, on the 15th [? newspaper blurred here] inst. Articles gives the names of the club's officers. [Bruce Allardice]

From William Humber's "Early Baseball in Canada" manuscript, 9/14/12:

The earliest formal baseball organization in Canada appears to be the Hamilton Young Canadians (later Maple Leafs) established in April 1854, playing on grounds between Bond Street (today’s Park Street) and Bowry (today’s Bay Street South) near the site of the newly built Central School. The team as described in the city’s directory of 1862-63 indicates that William Shuttleworth was President. Born in either 1833 or 1834 he is listed in census records as a salesman and owned a dry goods business until retiring in 1883. He later moved to Geneva, New York to live with his son James, and died there in 1903. James listed in the 1881 census as William’s 10 year old son was no doubt named after William’s late brother Jim, a fellow baseball enthusiast, who according to Bryan D. Palmer in Culture in Conflict had died in 1869 and was paraded to his grave site by his fellow shoemakers and other working-class men.