Back to History PageBaseball History in Evansville, Wisconsin 1867 | 1880s | 1890s
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| 1930s Evansville fans have watched been watching local baseball players win and lose at the game of baseball since 1867. This is the year that the first local baseball team was reported in the Evansville newspapers. It was one year before the start of the first professional baseball team in the United States and Evansville men already had formed an attachment to the game. The April 24, 1867 issue of the Evansville Citizen announced the organization of the Evansville Baseball Club. Dr. C. M. Smith was elected president, E. S. Watts, vice President and Daniel Curry, Secretary & Treasurer. A regular meeting was held once a month and practices were held on the Evansville Seminary grounds on Wednesday and Saturday of each week. Only the last name of the players and their positions on the team were listed in the lineup printed in the July 24, 1867 Evansville Citizen: Curry, catcher; Carville, pitcher; Nelson, short stop; J. Spencer, 1st base; Vervalin, 2nd base; Bennett, 3rd base; Dudley left field; C. Spencer, center field; and Haskins, right field. The Evansville Citizen reporter praised this new organization: “We are pleased to see this popular and healthful amusement entered into by our young men. It has already become a national recreation, and has excited a healthy emulation between towns and states, and may ere long spread to nations.” The team played against a Beloit team known as the Line City team. The game was played on the grounds south of the Seminary. According to the report, a crowd of several hundred people turned out to watch the game. Scores of early games were much higher than today. The Evansville team lost 25 to 76. By the ninth inning, Beloit’s score was so high, the game was called. Even though Evansville had only one out in the ninth inning, the winning team was obvious to the umpire. According to the local newspaper, “It was a lively game, and well done.” The reporter told readers that though the fans hoped Evansville would win, the local team was not a match for their opponent. “Of course we would much rather to have our boys beat, but when it is known that the Evansville Club is of recent organization and but very little time has been devoted to practice, and nearly all new players, we think they did remarkably well.” Baseball was becoming the favorite summertime pastime of men and boys. For those who wanted to learn more about the game and how to play, local news stands carried Haney’s Base Ball and promised to order “quantities for clubs on short notice.” Haney’s Base Ball of Reference by Henry Chadwick was published in 1867 It was the first official rulebook of the game. Chadwick described the model player, “The principal rule of action of our model base ball player is, to comport himself like a gentleman on all occasions, but especially on match days, and in so doing he abstains from profanity and its twin and vile brother obscenity, leaving these vices to be alone cultivated by graduates of our penitentiaries.” “He never censures errors of play made by a brother member or an opponent, as he is well aware that fault finding not only leads to no improvement in the play of the one who blunders but on the contrary is calculated to have the very reverse effect.” “He was never known to dispute the decision of an umpire, for knowing the peculiar position an umpire is placed in, he is careful never to wound his feelings by implying that his judgment is weak.” According to Chadwick, the model player was “able to throw a ball with accuracy of aim a dozen or a hundred yards.” The player should also be “fearless in facing and stopping a swiftly batted or thrown ball.” The rules given to the pitchers may have been responsible for the high scoring games. The pitcher was to pitch the ball close to the center of home base and where the batsmen requested it. Gloves were rarely used by the early players and the results were injured hands and crooked fingers. Catching a ball without having it hurt the player’s hands was part of learning to play the game. Even the catcher was considered a “sissie” if he wore a glove. The baseball of the 1860s was ten inches in circumference. Usually just one ball was used for the entire game, and it was awarded to the winning team as a trophy. Area communities with baseball teams in the late 1860s included Clinton, Janesville, Beloit, Milton, and Evansville. The first Wisconsin Base Ball Tournament was held in Beloit starting September 3, 1867. There were teams from Madison, Delavan, Milton, Whitewater, Milwaukee, LaCrosse, Clinton, and Beloit. Beloit had seven teams in the tournament. Several Illinois teams also participated, including players from Belvidere, Forest City, Chicago, Freeport, Rockton, and Roscoe. Although there was plenty of interest from baseball fans, no Evansville team participated. However the local newspaper reported that the Beloit tournament site was a “beautiful piece of prairie, level as a house floor, on the Stateline road, near the Northwestern depot.” Prizes were awarded for adult senior and second class clubs, junior clubs with players under the age of eighteen, and pony clubs with players under the age of fifteen. Additional prizes were offered by Rock County businesses for best catcher, best pitcher, best thrower, best runner of bases. There was also a prize of a box of soap for the “club securing most whitewashes.” One of the first of the tournament games played was called at dusk with Whitewater at 46 points and the Beloit Badgers at 25. Another game between two junior teams, the Intrepids of LaCrosse and the Capitol Juniors of Madison, resulted in a win for the Capitol Juniors, 62 to 17. The first professional baseball team organized in 1869. That year, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first team to pay all of their players. In 1869, the Stocks had an annual payroll of $9,300 and the star of the Cincinnati team, short-stop George Wright,was paid $1,400. His fans said he was worth every penny of it. Within a few years, Evansville could claim one of it’s own players as a professional baseball player. There were only a few articles about baseball in the Evansville newspapers during the 1870s. The May 27, 1874 issue of the Review reported, a game of baseball between the “Graded School boys and the Seminary boys.” The game was held on the grade school grounds (the current location of the J. C. McKenna Middle School.) The Seminary students were beaten by twenty points. A race horse track near the cemetery was used for many of the games played by the adult players. In 1878, Evansville had a team called the Red Stockings that practiced every day. They played an Oregon team known as the Squealers. On the 4th of July, a baseball match was held that was “witnessed by scores, with manifest delight for the skill and ingenuity of those who participated.” No mention was made of the players on the team. The reporter considered any mention of the details of the game as “not particularly necessary for these notes.” In 1879, the Evansville Baseball team, the Evansville Mutuals, played ball against teams from Magnolia, Stoughton, Janesville and the Footville Clippers. Wild fielding and a “want of practice” caused the loss of the games with Magnolia and Footville, but the local team was victorious over Stoughton by a score of 18 to 3. A game was played against the Janesville Mutuals on October 17, 1879. The locals beat the Janesville team 10 to 2. Cal Broughton, Morehouse and Owen are mentioned as having “played their positions finely.” In March 1880, another Evansville baseball team was organized. Livery stable owner, Matt Broderick, served as Manager. The team was once again called the Evansville Mutuals. Cal Broughton was catcher, Bayard Andrews, pitcher; Morehouse, Owen, F. Broughton on the bases; Heath, shortstop; and Purdy Thompson and Hunt in the field. Two men acted as extras, John Silverthorn and A. Broughton. The local teams usually began practicing in March and the season ended in September. One of the first reported matches in 1880 was between the Evansville Mutuals and the Janesville Mutuals for a prize of twenty dollars. The game was played at Evansville's Fourth of July celebration. Evansville's team won with a score of 32 to 20. Other games were played against teams from neighboring towns and sometimes there was an incentive of prize money offered to the winning team. The Mutuals always drew a crowd. Baseball playing in the 1880s took on new importance for Evansville fans as one of their own players was picked to play professional ball. Cal Broughton whose name is mentioned in the 1870s as one of Evansville’s team members was called to play for Cleveland. The Evansville baseball fans and team members knew there was potential for a talented player to join the legendary baseball professionals. One of Evansville’s favorite players, Cal Broughton, made that transition to the professional leagues in the 1880s. Cecil Calvert Broughton was a popular catcher and played with area teams. In the early 1880s, Broughton joined the Janesville Mutuals as their catcher. When the Janesville Gazette covered the Mutuals’ games, they often commented on Broughton’s playing ability. During the summer of 1882, the Janesville Mutuals challenged teams from Chicago, Rockford, Detroit, Beloit, and Milwaukee. In July 1882, the Mutuals played the Greens of Chicago. The Gazette described Broughton’s playing as “fine.” The Gazette also said that Cal continued to improve, and “is now as good a catcher as there is in the country.” Broughton made his major league debut with the Cleveland Blues on May 2, 1883, at the age of 22. He played in only four games as the team’s catcher. He was in Evansville for the 4th of July celebration that year. The Review noted his return and called him the “best player in the U. S.” However, the competing newspaper, the Enterprise, said that “there are a great many equally as good in the country.” Broughton returned to Cleveland and before the season ended he was released from the team. For the rest of the 1883 season, he played catcher in eight (or nine) games for the Baltimore Orioles, depending on the statistics reported. The following year, Cal Broughton played for the Milwaukee Cream City team. A Milwaukee newspaper, anticipating Broughton’s arrival in the city reported in April 1884, “Cal Broughton is practicing regularly with McGinley, at Albany, Wis., and writes that he is in better condition than ever before. McGinley is pitching in splendid style, and great things are expected of the ‘Wisconsin battery’ this season.” Broughton played eleven games for Milwaukee in 1884. In 1885, Broughton played for two teams. At the beginning of the season, he played four games for the St. Louis Browns. Then he transferred to the New York Metropolitans and played eleven games. That season Broughton was at bat for 58 times, but he only had 7 hits and scored 2 runs. In 1886, Cal was not chosen for a major league team. However, he reported to the Evansville Review, that he was going to play for a Savannah, Georgia team. The Review report said that Broughton’s salary for the season would be $1,200. He played for a Memphis team and won a gold medal for “his efficiency.” He took great pride in this medal, one of the few awards he gained during his professional career. In November 1887, he was signed to play with the Detroit Wolverines in the 1888 season. Broughton left on the 15th of February for Detroit. The team was to make a trip through the south before they opened the league games. The season was short-lived for Cal. He played only one game for the Detroit team and his final game in the major leagues was played for the Wolverines on April 21,1888. The Evansville and Janesville newspapers reported his return home in early May. However, in 1889 and 1890, Broughton had two more years of play with a St. Paul minor league team before returning to Evansville. There are no known records of his work with this team. Following his professional career, Cal returned to Evansville and worked for the D. E. Wood Butter Company. In the early 1900s, he served as Evansville’s elected police chief. He continued to play baseball for many years, leading his Evansville team to a contested state championship in 1896. He always played the catcher position. The local players kept a close eye on their hero. Each spring the local players organized teams and games with teams from other communities. When the teams had no challengers from away, they played each other or teams from the rural area surrounding Evansville. There were several Evansville teams playing in the 1880s, the Deceivers, the Acme Ball Club, and the Mutuals. These were traveling teams and played teams from communities that could be reached by railroad. Games were scheduled as they could be arranged with the other teams from Edgerton, Milton, Oregon, Madison, Beloit, Janesville, Reedsburg, Brodhead and Lodi. The teams from towns closest to Evansville seemed to form the biggest rivals. If Evansville lost to Brodhead, Edgerton, or Milton, it was frequently reported by the Enterprise and the Review, that the Evansville team was playing “in a crippled condition,” without their best players. Sometimes an unfair umpire was blamed for Evansville’s loss to a rival. Local newspapers did not often bother to name the players on the team. An exception was made when Oregon and Evansville played a tie game of 14 to 14 in September 1883. The Evansville team members were Web Owen, Aaron Broughton, Frank Broughton, Van Wart, Stearns, Millspaugh, H. Royer, J. Eastman, and Henry Royer. The reputation of some Evansville team members, gave them opportunities to play for teams in other communities. Frank Broughton was a catcher, often compared to brother, Cal, as being one of the best in the area. Broughton and Web Owen from Footville, both members of the Evansville traveling team, were often called by other teams to fill their roster. In August 1883, Broughton and Owen were asked to play for a Harvard, Illinois team in a game against a Marengo, Illinois team. According to local newspaper reports, Marengo’s teams was stacked with Chicago and Elgin professional players. Harvard’s team was defeated but the Evansville players, Broughton and Owen, were praised as “the best players the Harvard Club had.” The following year, in May 1884, Frank Broughton played for the Janesville Mutuals against the Beloit College team. “The catching of Frank Broughton was loudly praised and many said that, with a little more experience, he will equal his brother, Cal.” The enthusiasm for the game of baseball was as lively in the farming community surrounding Evansville as it was in the Village. The Jug Prairie area in Rock and Green County west of Evansville had organized a team for baseball beginning the in the 1870s. The Jug Prairie team had a baseball diamond on a farm west of Evansville. In July 1883, the Evansville Deceivers played the Jug Prairie Club on Mr. Pike’s farm. The Evansville team won the game 22 to 15. In 1884 there was a country team called the “Tangle Legs.” Cainville also had a team that challenged the Evansville players. On special occasions, when a visiting team did not show, or there was a special celebration in Evansville, the organized teams played scrub matches with teams that could be quickly organized with local men. The public school grounds on South First Street were most often used for these games in the early 1880s. The neighbors and school officials complained about the broken windows, destruction to lawns on neighboring properties and foul language that was sometimes used during the game. In 1883, Levi Leonard and Lansing Mygatt sold part of the addition north of the residential area on Second Street to the Village of Evansville. The Village Board intended to develop a park on this piece of property that was 19 x 51 rods. Some suggested that a baseball diamond be built in the park “where boys may play ball without breaking window lights or damaging anyone’s private property.” The Village Board did not spend the money to build a ball diamond and the teams made do with the school grounds. In the late 1880s, the local ball teams used a diamond at the race track on McEwen’s farm southwest of the Village limits. This later became the Rock County Fairgrounds and teams continue to play on the Fairgrounds for many years. By 1886, Evansville had ten baseball clubs organized. Only the team captain’s names were mentioned in the newspaper, but several of the captains also were members of Evansville traveling team. The team captains were Fred Gillman, George Hardin, George Wiggins, Elmer Scoville, Fred Springer; Fred Scoville, Earle Mihills, Bert Bevier, Bert Hoyl, Fred Clifford, Corey Dolph. Baseball games usually earned only a brief report in the local newspapers until May 13, 1887, when a play-by-play report of a game against Oregon appeared in the Evansville Review. The report was signed “an old player.” Evansville’s players won the game with a score of 27 to 6. The game was umpired by a Mr. Croak of Magnolia. The reporter said that Croak was “able and impartial” in calling the plays. The first four innings were “goose eggs,”with no scores for Evansville. Then the whole Evansville team batted in the 5th inning. Evansville’s Broderick stepped up to the bat and hit the first (and only) home run of the game. Fred Gillman’s hit was short and he was out at 1st. Lieu Van Wart, the next batter, was also out at 1st base. Slightham made it to second base. Frank VanWart hit the ball to left field and made it to second, with Slightham making it home, for the second run of the inning. Web Owen hit a line drive in the 5th inning, bringing Van Wart home. The next batter, Aaron Broughton hit a line drive, made it to second base, bringing Owen home. Nay Gillman (Fred’s brother) was Evansville’s next batter and he made it to first base. Frank Broughton hit a fly ball that Oregon’s player fumbled and Broughton got to second base. The first of the team’s batters was up again and Broderick bunted the ball and he made it to 1st base and Broughton came home. Fred Gillman was next at bat and he made the third out. For the next four innings, it was Evansville’s game. The Review’s report of the plays and statistics was two columns long. The “old player” gave high praise to the Evansville team. “Oregon tried hard to hit the ball, but because of good fielding and the difficult curves pitched by F. Gillman very few of them reached first.” Both the Oregon and Evansville teams were praised for their gentlemanly conduct. “The game was played without any kicking or any use of vulgar language whatever, both nines being gentlemen in every respect. Patrons of the game may be assured that the best of order will be kept, nothing will be allowed to be said that would shock the most fastidious.” The 1890s were exciting times for the Evansville ball clubs. The favored location for the home games was the McEwen Driving park. The adult teams used the McEwen grounds and the baseball diamond on the school grounds of the First Street school was abandoned to the high school, or quickly put together adult baseball teams that played in the this decade. "Baseball is becoming epidemical again," the Evansville Review announced in May 1891 and the perennial sport of summer began. Evansville's traveling team, usually referred to in news reports as the "Evansville Club" had a strong following of fans that would attend both home and away games. Rivals for the Evansville team included teams from Oregon, Stoughton, Jefferson, Milton, Edgerton, Portage, Sun Prairie, Reedsburg, Sharon, Beloit, and Janesville. An exhibition game with a Chicago team became a popular fund raiser for the traveling team. Admission of 25 cents was also charged at the gate and the money was used to purchase uniforms for the team and to pay travel expenses. The Evansville charges were small compared to the Janesville team playing in the Wisconsin League. The Janesville team charged one dollar to get into the games. Cal Broughton, Evansville's only professional ball player in the 1800s, was still the popular hero of the baseball fans. His friend, Fred Gillman told local reporters that he was playing for a Seattle club in 1890. The following year, Cal was back in the Evansville area. Only the best players were called to serve on the traveling teams, as the object was to win. Fans often had bets on their favorite team and to increase their chances of winning, the baseball teams hired men from outside their communities to increase the strength of their team. Fred Gillman and Cal Broughton played for an Edgerton team against Lake Mills in an August 1891 game. For Evansville baseball players, it was an honor to be chosen to play for other area teams. However when an opposing team used players that were not from their community, there was an outcry of unfair tactics, especially if the Evansville team lost. The Black Devils was the team name used by the Evansville traveling team from 1894 to 1896. This was a team that grew in strength over that three year period. The Evansville Tribune considered this a "hideous" name, but praised the team's winnings. The Edgerton and Evansville rivalry that had begun in the 1880s continued into the next decade and the two teams played several games against each other each season. For a game in July 1895, more than 100 Evansville fans traveled to Edgerton to watch their team play. The Evansville fans cheered wildly when their team came back from a score of 4 to 1 in the fourth inning to defeat the Edgerton team by a score of 10 to 7. In the ninth inning the Evansville fans watched their team make the final three outs for the Edgerton team. According to the Tribune, the Evansville fans "yelled themselves hoarse as the alleged ball players from Edgerton were fanned out in one, two, three order." Although there were four newspaper published in Evansville in the mid-1890s, it was rare that player's names were given in the reports of the games. A game with Edgerton in 1895 was an exception. Three Evansville players were mentioned as playing excellent ball during the battle with the Edgerton team. The Tribune reported that Fred Gillman, the Evansville team's catcher, made "a thrilling race" for home plate, scoring a run. Two other players were mentioned only by their last names, Hayden, the pitcher was credited with striking out 17 of Edgerton's players and a player, Libby, had an exceptional hit that "went far enough to strike a silver mine." In August 1895, an Edgerton team beat the Evansville nine by a score of 5 to 2. The Evansville newspaper, the Tribune called the game a sham: "We acknowledge the defeat at baseball by the Edgerton boys, but would you recognize a nine from Evansville composed of all but two first class record breaker professional players? We lost money, so would many others, if they bet on their own team against the field." Evansville had a team that was growing stronger with each game. The Evansville and Edgerton rivalry had become so well known throughout the area that the mayors of the two communities called for a game to be played on neutral ground, in Janesville. The mayors chose an umpire and his name was not revealed to either team until the start of the game. Hundreds of people watched the two teams complete. The Black Hussar band of Evansville played before the opening of the game. Then the mayors announced their choice of umpire, Harvey Clark of Madison. It appears that Evansville decided to play team "professionals" who did not live in the Evansville area, as the team roster included a third baseman named Possell, a short stop named Nichols, a first baseman named Minton and a left fielder named Cossibone. The only recognizable Evansville names were Cal Broughton as catcher, Fred Gilman at center field, and Crall at right field. Stewart at 2nd base and Runkle, the pitcher may also have been professional players. Evansville was the winning team with a score of 9 to 5 and the Evansville Enterprise declared the Evansville team to be the champions of Rock County. "We knew it" from the start that the other fellows were not up to the scratch. They had professional men, and we had to protect ourselves also." The next year proved to be the best year of the century for the Evansville baseball team. The local players won against Fort Atkinson, Lake Mills, Edgerton, Stoughton and Waterloo in June and early July. When Cal Broughton mangled and dislocated his thumb while playing a game against Durand, it was reported in all four Evansville newspapers. The loss of their favorite catcher made the Evansville team vulnerable and Evansville lost three games without one of their key players. Evansville's lineup for most of the season included J. F. Nonemaker, pitcher; Cal Broughton, captain and catcher; Tom Morrissey, first base; Pat Holleran, second base; Tom Sullivan, third base; John Gregg, third base; Frank Broughton, Jr., shortshop; Chet Brewer, left field; Charles Newman, center field; Fred W. Gillman, right field, and manager; E. H. Libby, outfield Ray Broughton, infield; Chester A. Morse, mascot. Frank, Jr. and Ray Broughton were nephews of Cal Broughton. In the new few weeks, they lost to their rival Edgerton, but beat Sun Prairie, another game against Fort Atkinson, Waterloo, and Sharon. By the end of the season, Evansville had won 19 games and lost five. In league play for the Wisconsin State League, Edgerton had won 11 games and lost three. Evansville had won 12 league games and lost 2 and was declared the Champion of the Wisconsin State League. However, since their percentages were the same, .357, Edgerton challenged the Evansville team's claim to the pennant and wanted a game to decide the true victor. The game of the century was played for a championship that would be a subject of controversy for the next twenty years. Evansville played against Edgerton on September 5th 1896 for what the two teams and their fans considered the championship game. The action of the game got little notice in the Evansville newspapers but made headlines in the Janesville Gazette, as it drew crowds of people from Janesville, Edgerton, Evansville and all of Rock County. Edgerton had some Rockford men by the names of Ferguson, Warner and Dillon and further improved the chances of their team by having league players from Janesville Fort Atkinson and Madison. According to a report in the Janesville Gazette, twenty-one years later, "Evansville never entered words of protest, because they well knew that Edgerton, under the rule of the league had a perfect right to use the men they did. It was alright for Edgerton to load up." Evansville lost the game by a score of 5 to 1, in favor of Edgerton, but controversy about the real winner of the championship of 1896 remained strong. It was noted in the May 15, 1926, Janesville Gazette article about the game played twenty years before that several of the players had been successful away from the ball diamond. Four of the players became chiefs of police, Fred W. Gillman, Cal Broughton, (Evansville chiefs), and Charles Newman and Tom Morrissey (Janesville chiefs.) The baseball fever that had been so prevalent in Evansville in the 1880s and 1890s quieted some at the end of the 19th century. The traveling baseball teams that had brought such excitement to the sports activities in Evansville became a thing of the past. In the late 1890s, the legendary Cal Broughton and his team mate, Fred Gillman were elected to Evansville political offices. At the time both the Police Chief and City Clerk positions were elected officials. Cal Broughton became Evansville's Police Chief in 1899 and Fred Gillman held the job of City Clerk. Gillman also held the appointment of Deputy Sheriff and frequently assisted Broughton in solving crimes. Their new occupations brought the two well-known Evansville men as much notice in the local newspapers as their baseball playing had in earlier years. Both men held their political offices for many years. Broughton and Gillman had great success in capturing burglars and others who were unlucky enough to come to Evansville to engage in criminal activities. In their spare time, Broughton and Gillman continued to play baseball. Cal Broughton played for a Milton traveling baseball team against some old foes of Evansville, the Whitewater and Cambridge teams. Frank Broughton, Jr. also a former Evansville team player played on the Clinton ball team, against his Uncle Cal's Milton team. When Evansville did not have a baseball team to excite local fans, the baseball lovers turned their attention to other teams. Exhibition games with a team from Chicago, the Chicago Unions, were the highlight of the season for Evansville baseball fans at the turn of the century. The Chicago Unions, sometimes called the Chicago Union Giants, or the Leland Giants was a team composed entirely of Black players from Chicago. Every summer the Union Giants traveled to small towns in Wisconsin and other states in the Upper Midwest, playing local teams. The Giants also played against other professional traveling baseball teams. According to the Negro League Baseball Players Association, the Union Giants caused such a sensation wherever they played that if the local teams won, it was the highlight of the season. The Chicago team made their first appearance in Evansville in 1897 and played against a team of Evansville men. According to the local newspaper, the Badger, an immense crowd witnessed the game. The following year, on September 29, 1898, the Union Giants returned to Evansville and a crowed of thirteen hundred people came to the Driving Park to watch the game. The Evansville players were "a picked nine." The Evansville Review noted that this Evansville team was a newly organized and had not played together before the summer of '98. Evansville lost to the Chicago team by a score of 12 to 9. For the next few years, Evansville was part of the Chicago team's circuit of play. After the first two years, there were no longer local teams to challenge the professionals. The games were played at the Evansville Fair Grounds (formerly the Driving Park), against another professional traveling team. In 1899, an estimated crowd of two thousand people watched the game with the Chicago Unions and another professional traveling team, the Cuban Giants. In 1900 the Unions played against the Western Indians and the following year, the Beloit College team challenged the Chicago Unions at the Evansville fair grounds. The Chicago team won by a score of 14 to 7. There was very little enthusiasm for local adult baseball teams in the early 1900s. If fans wanted to watch a good game of baseball, they usually had to travel to another city or village. Fans and players were also required to follow the local norms for conduct on Sunday, or face the wrath of the community. The Evansville fair grounds was the favored spot for the local teams to play and this land was owned and operated by the Rock County Fair Association. When a game of baseball was played on Sunday, the owners of the fair grounds received complaints and the team was reprimanded in the local newspapers. In early July 1903, the Fair Association secretary, W. W. Gillies placed an advertisement in the columns of the four local newspapers chastising the local Evansville teams for playing a game of baseball on Sunday. "Complaint having been entered to the Fair Management on account of baseball on the Fair Grounds on Sunday, therefore, notice is hereby given to the Public that it will not be allowed hereafter on the Fair Grounds. The management has no objections to innocent games on the grounds any other day of the week. W. W. Gillies, Secretary." Another game was scheduled on a Sunday on land known as "Purington corners, a mile east of this city." A team from Monticello was to play an Evansville team. The announcement of the game noted that the Evansville team included players with the last names Thurman and Farnsworth. Fans were expecting a spirited game, but the local newspaper challenged
the Sunday game. "Credit is due our City Council and Fair Association
that such games have been barred from the fair grounds in this city
on Sundays." The fans and players submitted to the prevailing
thought on Sunday games and cancelled the event. Admission to the fund raiser was only 10 cents and ladies were admitted free. Nearly $40 was given to Mr. Little following the game. "No one was better pleased with the result than those who took part in the game." Those baseball fans who wanted to see a good game of baseball traveled to the nearby community of Footville to watch the White Sox play against many of the same teams that Evansville traveling ball team had challenged. Footville's team received more notice in the local newspapers than Evansville's own teams. While it appeared that adults had lost their enthusiasm for playing in a traveling baseball team at the turn of the century, the young people had not. A new generation of ball players was in training at the local high school. It was the high school games played in the spring of the year that received the most notice in the early years of the twentieth century. In 1896, the Evansville schools had hired a new high school principal H. F. Kling. The new principal pressured the school board to put emphasis on new areas of the curriculum and recommended that athletics, music and art be added in order to improve the student's mind and body. Kling was convinced that in addition to their academic courses, students needed athletic programs that were organized, supervised, and supported by adults. He took an active role in the student's athletic instruction and coached football, baseball and track. In the spring of each year during his administration, Kling ran both the track and baseball programs. The Evansville High School baseball teams traveled to other communities, playing Brodhead, Madison, Edgerton, Beloit, Janesville, Stoughton and other nearby communities. The team had appropriate uniforms and baseball caps. It was unusual for the newspapers to name the players whether they were adults or high school students, but games against local teams were the exception. In the spring of 1905, the Evansville High School team played the Evansville Seminary team and won. Although only last names and some first initials were given for the players, the following team players for the high school were listed: Slausen, Gardner, Winter, Ames, Le Baron, Pearsall, Churm, Brooke and Reckord. Players for the Seminary were given as Jordan, Will Brooks, Combs, H. Marsh, Hendricks, C. Marsh, Meinke, Newman and Westby. The Evansville High School team appears to have been heavily weighted
with Seniors. Another high school team was photographed a few years later. The players were identified as Earl Gillies, Roy Reckord, Paul Chase, Forrest Durner, Fred Slightham, Bill Benson, and Robert Pearsall. This photograph appeared in the August 28, 1985 Evansville Review. Evansville's baseball teams of the future were based on the players being trained in the high school sports program. By 1907, the enthusiasm for adult baseball teams in Evansville was being revived. A traveling team was organized and games were once again played against Oregon, Clinton, and Beloit. The 1908 traveling team for Evansville included former high school players Roy Reckord, the pitcher and Robert Pearsall, a 1908 high school graduate, the team captain. The adult players of baseball were once again gaining favor in Evansville. Evansville's organized baseball activities in the early part of the 20th century were sporadic. Baseball games were used to draw a crowd to fund raising events. Promoters tried to get closely matched teams of baseball players and they were willing to pay the teams to play. Exhibition games were played at the Irish Picnic, a fund raising activity by St. Paul's Parish, and the Rock County Fair at the Evansville Fair grounds. The Irish Picnic was held in the early summer. The 1909 Irish picnic game was played against Albany and started at 10 o'clock in the morning. The early morning game was intended to draw a crowd for the 11 o'clock meal served by the women of the church. The afternoon entertainment included track and field events and a second game of baseball. "The second ball game was the feature of the day, according to a report of the events in the June 23, 1909 Enterprise. The competing teams in afternoon were the Footville and Beloit, and the game went fourteen innings, with only one score deciding the difference between the teams. The Footville Whitesox continued to be a favorite local area team with excellent players, including members of the Broughton family. The Evansville newspapers often featured more articles about the Footville games, than Evansville's. "Baseball fans who like to see a good game, would do the proper thing if they went to Footville on Saturday, July 3rd and watched the game between the Beloit and Footville teams, which played in Evansville at the Irish picnic. Each team has won from the other once this year and are not playing for fun, marbles, but for the championship," a reporter for the Tribune & Enterprise said in the June 30, 1909 issue of the newspaper. Evansville was able to organize a traveling baseball team in 1911. That year Evansville played Belleville for the beginning game and Footville at the Irish picnic. The team names were mentioned in the Evansville Review issue on June 1, 1911. However in some cases only surnames were given for the players. "The new base ball nine recently organized in this city consists of the following players: Taylor, pitcher, Geo. Thurman, catcher, Paul Gray, first base, Howard Keefe, second base, Henry Gardner, third base, Fairman, center field, Roy Reckord, right field, E. Lee, left field, and Harry Broughton, short stop." Roy Reckord was one of the more versatile players and also pitched some of the games. For the Irish Picnic, the Evansville team recruited some well known players from other communities. George Fucik, a Stoughton player, served as pitcher, with Reckord also pitching part of the team. Despite the increased playing power for Evansville, they were defeated by Footville with a close score of 4 to 3. When the Rock County Fair was held in Evansville in 1911, the only Evansville team that was invited to play was the Evansville High School team playing against the Albany High School team. Although there were baseball games each day of the four-day fair, the Evansville traveling team did not play. In February 1913, the Rock County Fair committee announced that Cal Broughton would be in charge of the sports activities for the fair. Later that same year a new baseball team was organized for Evansville. Homer Shultz was elected president and Louis Abtz, a former Elroy third base player, was chosen to act as secretary treasurer. An Evansville favorite, Roy Reckord was named team manager. The team practiced three times a week. Bernard Munson, a former Argyle baseball team player, pitched for the Evansville team. To raise funds, the team held at dance at the Magee Opera House on East Main Street, asked for donations from local merchants and sold season tickets to the games. To prevent any controversy, the team also promised not to hold Sunday games. The team played on Friday afternoons. For the first game, the local team played Oregon and a large crowd gathered to watch the game. The lineup for Evansville was Abts, 3rd base; Reckord, center field; Sholts, 1st base; Gardner, 2nd base; Munson, pitcher; Gray, left field; Gillies, catcher; Christman, right field; and Jones, short stop. The game was described as a "pitchers' battle. Munson struck out twelve of the Oregon players and was credited with a double play in the 6th inning. The game was lost to Oregon in the 11th inning. Other games in the 1913 season were played against the Madison teams, Fauerbach Brewing Co, and Madison Kipps; Brodhead; Beloit Moose; Van's Colts of Beloit; and Argyle, where Bernard Munson pitched against his former team mates. Exhibition games the 1913 Irish Picnic with Evansville playing Footville. No score was given in the local reports of the game, but it was described as a "snappy game and furnished plenty of excitement for local and visiting fans." Evansville also played an exhibition game at Brooklyn's Field Day in early August with Evansville pitted against Oregon. In another exhibition game that season, Evansville played Van's Colts of Beloit at the Rock County Fair. There were only occasional baseball games played by Evansville teams during the next years of the 2nd decade of the 20th century. No Evansville teams played at the Rock County Fair held at the Evansville Fairgrounds in 1914. The lineup of teams that year included a Belleville team that placed second in the Southern Wisconsin Amateur League. Belleville played against Oregon. Brodhead's team played Monticello and the Milton and Footville Y.M.C.A. teams played for the Rock County Y.M.C.A. league championship. The winner of the Oregon vs. Belleville and Brodhead vs. Monticello games played against the Footville Whitesox. One of Evansville' favorite umpires made the more headlines than any of the Evansville players in 1915. Pete Libby, a local tobacco buyer, had been an umpire for baseball games for many years. In June 1915, Libby was hired to umpire all of the games in the Madison City Baseball League. The Wisconsin State Journal ran an article on Libby. In an early game against the Fauerbach team and the Olympic team from Madison, Libby had done such creditable work behind the plate that "after the game the fans poured into the box-office and congratulated him on his good work." This was rare praise indeed for an umpire. Libby was pursued by the Madison League to come to umpire the games. The League secretary bargained with Libby until they reached a satisfactory agreement and Libby was signed on as umpire just a few minutes before the second game of the season started. According to the Wisconsin State Journal report, "Libby donned the mask and protector and took charge of the field. His "Batter Up" - screeched at the two teams, put both on edge. Libby got a big hand from the crowd on this expression. His "Str-r-r-ike One" rang all over the park." During that same game, Libby a thrown pitch hit his mask and stunned him momentarily. He fell to the ground but got up quickly and yelled his famous "Batter Up," and play resumed. Libby maintained his residence in Evansville and drove his automobile to and from Madison every weekend to officiate at the games. Evansville's traveling team had disbanded, but games were organized locally between the men from the Baker Manufacturing Company and a team composed of other business men. These two teams played at the Irish Picnic in 1915. Baker's Half Feds team included Paul Jones, C. Weaver, E. Sperry, L. Wilder, R. Frazer, C. Eggleston, M. Jones, Chester Hurd, W. Decker, and H. Morrison. The local businessmen's team had C. Main, F. Durner, Leffingwell, Ace Fellows, Covert, Tomlin, Knudson, Stewening and Roy Reckord. The pitchers for the game were Reckord for the businessmen and C. Hurd for the Baker team. The businessmen beat Bakers by a score of 9 to 7. According to the Review, "The game was an interesting one to watch and showed there is a lot of good baseball material here in Evansville that ought to be developed into a fast team." For the 1915 Rock County Fair, the Baker team played and won by a score of 10 to 5 against a Magnolia team. The Baker team had Bob Kivlin and Dale Smith serving as pitchers, while the Magnolia team had pitchers with the surnames Post and Roberts. The Fair committee also hired teams from Footville, Albany, Edgerton and Oregon to play, so that there was a ball game each day of the 1915 Fair. If the adults could not maintain a traveling team, the high school boys were still eager to play baseball. In 1916, a strong Evansville High School team had the following players: "Logy" Terry Durner, Loyal "Hap" Baker, R. Kendall, Felix Fellows, Earl Tolles, Elzie Libby, Honore Hubbard, Seth Cain, Patterson, and Phillips. Durner served as pitcher for the team. In a final game of the season, the Evansville team played the Evansville Seminary and was defeated by a score of 14 to 7. A report of a July 4th committee's expenses gives a clue as to the cost of equipment for the baseball games played by Evansville teams. An Evansville team played a Stoughton team for the July 4, 1917 celebration. The committee paid a local tailor to make the sacks for the bases at a cost of 70 cents. They bought two balls at the Grange Store at a cost of $2.50. The committee also paid the Stoughton Ball Club $35 and the local team $40 to play that day. The cost was well worth the money for the 4th of July Committee, as the total receipts for the ball game portion of the activities of the day were $205.85. This was 27% of the total receipts for the entire celebration. World War I put a halt to many of the amateur sports activities for Evansville athletes. One of the star players, Leroy (Roy) Reckord served in the military. Others who played baseball for Evansville and served in World War I were Chester Warren Hurd, John W. Golz, Paul Rowley Gray, Paul Weaver Chase, and Paul M. Jones. Organized baseball returned to Evansville in the 1920s. The American Legion McKinney Post formed in 1919 and the Athletic Committee of the Post issued a news release the following April asking for volunteers for a new city baseball team. The announcement was printed in the April 8, 1920 issue of the Review. "Spring is coming, sometime, and a bit of athletic activity will be worth while. Good sport is essential to health and a good disposition. The American Legion invites all who are interested in baseball in Evansville to a meeting Friday evening at 7:30. Let's show a little life, encourage sports, and boost the town." The meeting drew a crowd and baseball was promoted to the local businessmen as a way to boost business in town. William Dake, a local barber, formed a team known as Dake's Dogs and Baker Manufacturing teams was known as the Baker Monitors. The only game reported for Dake's team was a game against the local high school team. The Monitors was Evansville's traveling team in 1920. They played teams from Oregon, Beloit, Orfordville, the Janesville Eagles and the Janesville All-Stars. Players on the team included Fred Sperry, Cain, Brown, Hain, Morrison, the pitcher, Kittleson, Larsen, Jones, and Funk. In 1921, Art Dake again formed a team, known as Dake's Veterans. The first game of the season was against the local high school team. The team included several fellow barbers and past stars of the local high school team. Floyd Morgan, Ace Fellows, Phil Pearsall and Chester Hurd. The local high school and Dake's team had arranged for a series of baseball games to be played on the fairgrounds diamond. However, in 1921, the grounds were used to pasture the horses from the livery of Dr. Charles S. Ware. Although he had rented the pasture until mid-June, Ware agreed to let the games be held on the land. Local baseball players wanted a new baseball diamond near Leonard Park. The park was becoming a popular tourist camp and the scene of many summer picnics. The Evansville Review's baseball promoter, Robert Antes, proposed that a plot of land owned by the Eager Estate, just west of the park, be leveled for a baseball diamond. The plot of ground was a little uneven, but properly prepared, it "would make an admirable ball diamond, where city people could attend without having to go in cars or walk a long distance" to the fairgrounds. The Review urged the City Council to rent the property from the owners. When this proposal was not accepted by the Council, a petition was circulated to have a diamond built on a piece of land owned by the Canning Company on Cherry Street. This proposal was also denied and the games continued for the next few years at Evansville's Rock County Fairgrounds. In the spring of 1922, the Evansville ball players attempted to join the Southern Wisconsin Base Ball Association. The fee was $250 and the towns already in the association were Whitewater, Fort Atkinson, Edgerton, Hebron, and Cambridge. The effort to join the league was unsuccessful, but this did not keep the local team from playing ball. The team included high school players, Roland Barnum, Buck Roberts, Seth Cain, Tom Cain and seasoned City team players, Chet Hurd, Ray Covert, Clifford Harper, Jens Knudson, Buster Libby, Ralph Noyes, Bill Tilley, Paul Jones, James Temple and Harold Zwicky. The 1922 games were played against Brodhead, Durand, Argyle, Belleville, Footville, the Janesville Black Cats and Stoughton. In 1923, Robert J. Antes, representing the Antes Press and Fred Sperry, representing the Barbers of Evansville, were responsible for keeping baseball alive in Evansville. In the April 5 issue of the Review, Antes issued a challenge to the local barbers: "The boys of the Antes Press who have been pining for a game of baseball for some time and not long ago challenged the barbers, state in their opinion, the barbers should change the color of the stripes on their signs and make them yellow, as so far they have failed to accept the challenge thrown to them to cross bats." The Barbers, including Mark Moore, William Dake, Fred Sperry, Floyd Morgan, Bernie Christensen, Waller, Redlen, Vandervilt, Flint, and Phelps accepted the challenge of the Antes team that included Bob Antes, Phil Pearsall, Harold Zwickey, George Greenway, Glenn Tomlin, Jack Seipp, Forrest Brigham, and other team members named Graves, Strack, and Reynolds. There is no indication that these teams played against other teams
during this season. A new road into the park on the east side made better access to the area near the renewed Lake Leota. It made this area an ideal place for a ball diamond. The City Council again took no action to bring the ball games to the park and the games continued at the fairgrounds and the school diamond. However, the following year, the city teams increased in number and a regular schedule of games was prepared for the six teams. The league was sometimes called the Home Talent League or the Junior League. The teams each had a line-up of 12 players and were managed by the following: Johnson's Pirates, managed by Grant Johnson; Ford's Tigers, managed by Bruce Ford; Devine's Giants, managed by Art Devine; Durner's Yanks, managed by Forrest Durner; Dake's White Sox, managed by Art Dake; and Gillman's Cubs, managed by old-time player Fred Gillman. The 1924 schedule began on June 30 and ended September first. The games were played on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings beginning at 6:30 and since there were no lights on the ball diamonds, the games were called at dark. Robert J. Antes once again challenged City Ball players for a series of games in the spring of 1925. Four teams formed, the Bakers, D. E. Wood Butter Company (also known as the Creamery or the Greasers), the Businessmen and The Antes Press, (known as the printers.) The local teams were known as the Twilight Ball League. Twenty-four games were scheduled for the season. Officers for the organization included Robert J. Antes, president; Richard Brigham, Secretary and Treasurer. Baker's team included Ray Covert, the Apfel brothers Lloyd and Lindle, John Gundlach, Schartz, Parr, Larson, Roberts, Griffith, Brown, Estes, Baker and Graham. The Businessmen included Fred Sperry, manager, G. E. Johnson, Tom Cain, Roy Reckord, Ace Fellows, Bernie Christensen, Melvin Furseth, Forrest Durner, Ed Carns, Art Tomlin, Clayton Cain, Reuben Helgesen and Fay Ellis. The D. E. Wood Butter Company included Evansville's first professional ball player, Cal Broughton. Broughton always had substitute runners, but was listed in his old position of catcher for the team. Other players for the Creamery were Roy Lewis, Forrest Graves, Roberts, Jacobsen, Hubbard, Dill, Lundy, Bly, and Ben Ellis. There were also country teams that played the Antes Press and other teams. In early May 1925, the Antes Press played a game against the Jug Prairie team, the Farmers. Players for the Antes Press included Bob Antes, Phil Pearsall, Harold Zwickey, Jack Seipp, George Greenway, Glenn Tomlin, Richard Brigham, Graves, Strack, Braclaus, and Reynolds. The Farmers team included John Golz, E. Golz, Fred Abey, McGuire, Powers, W. Krause, R. Krause, and B. Purington. The Farmers won by a score of 12 to 11. With so many local teams playing each other, the City Council finally agreed that there was a need for a ball diamond at the city park and in June 1925, the project began. A tractor and grader were brought in to "skin" the infield and the sod was hauled away to fill in other low spots in the park. The D. E. Wood ball team defeated the Businessmen in the first game played on the new diamond on Tuesday, June 23, 1925. The Businessmen won the League Championship in 1925, with 8 wins and 3 losses. Antes followed closely with 7 wins; the D. E. Wood Butter Co. 4 wins and the last team, the Baker Company with 3 wins. Ace Fellows led the individual batting averages with .462, scoring
17 runs. Tom Cain was a close second with a .444 average and 11
runs for the season. The team planned to buy new uniforms and raise the funds to join
the league. To prove their worth in the traveling league, Roy Lewis
booked games with Albany, Orfordville, Brodhead and a Beloit team
for September and October, after the Home League had finished their
season. In the spring of 1926, the Evansville City Baseball team was invited
to join the Southern Wisconsin Baseball League. Members of the League
were Milton, Brodhead, Albany, Edgerton, Footville, Janesville and
Evansville. Evansville's home games were played at the fairgrounds
diamond, where there was a grandstand and plenty of room for cars
to park near the field. STAN SPERRY AND THE 1930s |