We want to thank everyone who made sure that the first Annual Gettysburg 19th Century Base Ball Tournament was a huge success. Hundreds of people came out to witness what America’s Pastime was like in its infancy. The organizers could not have imagined the cooperation it received from the clubs, the sponsors, the re-enactors, the fans and the whole town of Gettysburg. Many thanks to those who braved the heat to see some great base ball over the course of 2 days.
Fans were treated each game to either President Lincoln, General Grant or General Lee throwing out the first ball. At times they were treated to Casey at the Bat by Brad Shaw. Next the fans were treated to how base ball looked in the mid 1860s at its purest form. Some highly spirited matches made for great entertainment for those in attendance.
A big “Huzzah” goes out to the Talbot Fair Plays who won the first championship. They defeated Elkton 14-9 to take home the gold ball. Both clubs got to the championship match by running the table in its round robin play with perfect 3-0 records. Somerset took 3rd place with a 10-7 victory over Pittsburgh. For the full results go to the “results” tab on this site.
We want to thank the following for the huge success: First the clubs: the Flemington Neshanock, the Talbot Fair Plays, the Pittsburgh Franklins, the Delaware Diamond States, the Somerset Frosty Sons of Thunder and the Elkton Eclipse. Our re-enactors: President Lincoln, General Lee and General Grant. Our Gold Sponsors: Gettysburg Convention and Tourism Bureau, Hickory Hollow Farm and Gettysburg Eddies. Our other sponsors: The Gettysburg Foundation, 19th Century Base Ball, and the Union Drummer Boy. The town of Gettysburg and all of its citizens and mostly a big thanks to all the fans and spectators who witnessed a great event.
We’ll see you the 3rd weekend of July 2011 for the 2nd Annual Gettysburg 19th Century Base Ball Tournament with even more clubs and more off the field fun. For more information or to get on our email list, contact us at email@example.com. Thanks again!