Barn Ball (House Ball)

Glossary of Games
	Curated by Larry McCray and Jeffrey Kittel
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Game	Barn Ball (House Ball)
Game Family	Scrub Scrub
Location
Regions
Eras	Predecessor
Invented	No
Tags
Description	A two-player game set against a wall or barn. The pitch is made from about ten feet away against the wall, and the batter tries to hit it on the rebound. If successful, he runs to the wall and back. If he misses the ball, and the pitcher catches the rebounding pitch on the fly or on one bound, the batter is out. Beard (1896) calls a similar game House Ball. It specifies a brick house, perhaps for the peace of mind of occupants.
Sources	D. C. Beard, The American Boy’s Book of Sport (Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1896), pages 341-342. See also Altherr, "Barn Ball," Base Ball (Spring 2011).
Source Image	[[Image:\|left\|thumb]]
Comment	Abraham Lincoln is said to have played barn ball with enthusiasm in Springfield c. 1858. Nicholas Young remembered playing barn ball in the Mohawk Valley in the 1850s. Edit with form to add a comment
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