Negro League Baseball in Pennsylvania

[Monster Mike]

I love baseball always have. I recently found out my great Grandfrather played semi-pro baseball in the early 1900's. Does anyone know of any Negro league teams in Pennsylvania besides Philly, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. I'm trying to find out which team he might have played with but the picture I have is very old. He passed in 1934 at 44 years old. He was from Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated. You can email me at
MonsterMyke@aol.com

[TonyK]

If he was born in 1890 then the photo could have been taken between 1907 and 1917. The Negro Leagues Book by Clark and Lester and published by SABR might help you. It contains names of players on many negro teams of that era.

Have you tried the PA State Library? If you know where he grew up you might want to read old newspapers on microfilm from his town. Local ballplayers were followed closely and writeups were often given in the spring and the fall about them. It would also help to find out what team he was on. Maybe an older relative or one of their friends might be able to help you? Good Luck!

[Monster Mike]

Thanks for the ideas. Nobody knows what team it was but I'll give your suggestions a shot. Thanks.

[ACrank]

Apaprently there was a team in Erie called the Erie Pontiacs - the only time i found out about this was when the Seawolves wear Pontiac replica jerseys for their annual salute to the Negro Leagues/Sam Jethroe - not sure if this is a help or not....

[TonyK]

I located my Negro Leagues Book. The only teams I could add are the Keystone Giants of the 1920's from Steelton, PA; the Pennsylvania Red Caps and I don't know where they were from; and the Pennsylvania Giants and again I don't know where they were from. The famous Hilldale Giants ended up in Philadelphia but were originally from another city.

The Keystone team often played other towns around them including Manheim, PA. You have your grandfather's name and know the approximate years he played ball in. Start with his hometown's newspaper on microfilm and see if they wrote anything about him when he was a teenager or in his early 20's. Often the paper would note in the spring that a local player signed with a semi-pro team since it was of local interest. Good Luck!

[luckyshow]

The Pennsylvania Red Caps of New York were a team named for the red caps from Pennsylvaania Station, the railroad station, in New York City. c.1917 to 1930s.

IN 1930s they played at Freeport Municipal Stadium on Long Island (The Pennsylvania Railroad owned the Long Island Railroad, though I am unsure if that was the reason they played there)

[Paul Wendt]

I love baseball always have. I recently found out my great Grandfrather played semi-pro baseball in the early 1900's. Does anyone know of any Negro league teams in Pennsylvania besides Philly, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg.
There were no leagues and not many teams that we now lump with the Negro Leagues and call "major". Today almost everyone calls a team "professional" if it hired players on salary and some use the term more liberally. At the time, I believe, the term "semi-professional" was used widely and variously. Probably there were some "semipro" teams that did not travel at all, in some cities never visited by the Cuban Giants, X Giants, etc (traveling pros). Then local city newspapers may be the only extant sources.

College newspapers may be worth a shot and you may before checking them be able to identify colleges with men's baseball teams. A competitive men's team may have played practice games with local amateurs or semipros. (So might a minor league team, but I don't know of any likely source for info except the local city newspaper.)

[Paul Wendt]

A supporting example from 1899.

The (only?) Nashville TN colored baseball team visited Chicago and played the "crack colored club" (major team) Columbia Giants on Sunday July 23. (Att. 3543) On Saturday Nashville played the Decatur College team at Moweaqua IL.