Town Ball at
Historic Rosedale
The History of
Baseball
May 6, 2006
1 until 4 pm
Long before
the Yankees and the Cubs, before DiMaggio and Ruth, baseball
was being played in the streets and fields of America. The
game was called Town Ball. It might look a little different
from your local Little League game but the spirit was the
same.
During the
early 1800's the game of town ball was played throughout
America. It began as a schoolyard amusement for children and
eventually grew into a sport for adults as well. The rules
of town ball varied widely from town to town. Something
about this sport appealed to the everyday man and interest
blossomed until in 1845 the first organized professional
teams began to play under more structured rules. A picture
of prisoners in the 1860’s at the Salisbury Confederate
Prison shows Federal detainees playing town ball within the
prison walls during the Civil War.
The rules are
simple. Town Ball is played on a square with four bases or
bounds. The batter, called the striker stands between 1st
and 4th bound. The striker cannot strike out;
but once the ball is hit he can be put out if the ball is
caught on the fly or the first bounce, or he can be plugged,
that is, hit by the ball.
So bring your
T-ball star or budding Hank Aaron and join costumed
interpreters as they teach us the delightful game of Town
Ball at Historic Rosedale. All children 12 and under who
arrive wearing their teams baseball uniform get in free and
will be invited to join the game. The game will be suitable
for players of all ages.
