Relic of Bygone Days of Delaware Baseball Unearthed
Members of the Diamond State Vintage Base Ball Club have located what is believed to be one of the oldest known artifacts of early baseball in Delaware. The baseball, whose whereabouts the team has long sought, was recently discovered to be in the archives of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York. The ball had recently passed its sesquicentennial after its use as the game ball for the state championship game played during of the first complete season of organized baseball in Delaware history.
The ball is painted with a red shield and bears the inscription, “Diamond State v. Atlas, 32-15, June 8, 1866,” denoting the participating clubs, final score, and date of the game. On that day, the Diamond State of Wilmington did indeed defeat the Atlas of Delaware City in a game that took place on what is now the northwest corner of Clinton and Fourth streets in Delaware City. As was customary during baseball’s early days, the game ball was presented to the winning club as a trophy for their successful effort. The ball was painted with the score, memorializing the victory. The Diamond State club became champions by virtue of the win over the Atlas, and then successfully defended their title by defeating every other Delaware challenger during the remainder of the 1866 season.
The Diamond State and Atlas clubs are recognized as being among the first group of organized baseball teams in state history. The Wilmington club featured such future notable players of the early game as Fergus “Fergy” Malone and Andrew Gibney. Malone served as Diamond State’s pitcher during 1866 and later went on to revolutionize the catching position as one of baseball’s first professionals for clubs in Washington, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Gibney, who starred as Diamond State’s catcher, played ball for the Gotham club of New York prior to his arrival in Wilmington and was one of the sport’s earliest professionals with clubs in Washington. The Atlas Base Ball Club was best known for having three Reybold brothers in their starting lineup.
Wilmingtonian John Medkeff Jr. has been researching early baseball in Delaware since he founded the modern day version of the Diamond State Base Ball Club in 2008. Several years ago, he learned from a newspaper article that the 1866 championship ball existed as late as 1941. Charles Gouert, a member of the 1866 Diamond State club, had possession of the trophy ball until, at some point before his death in 1941, passing it to his friend Fred Thornett. The ball was then bequeathed to Wilmington resident and former professional player John “Sadie” McMahon, who later gave the ball to Walter Bacon, former Delaware governor and baseball aficionado. When Bacon died in 1962, his wife gave the ball to collector Carl Harvell. In late 1962, Harvell approached Wilmington Evening Journal columnist Al Cartwright to assist him with donation of the ball to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The ball was received into the Hall’s archives in January 1963.
After learning that the ball had been donated more than 50 years ago, Diamond State Vintage Base Ball Club president Jeff Kabacinski contacted the Hall of Fame and received verification that the ball was still in their possession, though in very fragile condition. Kabacinski, Medkeff, and several members of the ball club have planned a trip in early 2017 to view the ball and connect with a long lost piece of Delaware sports history.
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