Northampton Baseball III: 1890's- Independent Baseball in Northampton

In 1885 the Hampshire County Journal noted "over 75 teams" in Northampton, but none stirred the interest the Florence Eagles had. In the late 1880s interest in a "town team" to represent the city began to grow, a role fulfilled for a time by the "Northampton Firemen." Later a team called simply the "Northamptons" struggled against better financed rivals, in particular Brattleboro.

Several factors coincided in 1891 to bring about a winning team. Northampton built an enclosed ball field in the new Driving Park, a race course for trotters at the fairgrounds. The city's two daily papers, the Daily Hampshire Gazette and the Northampton Herald, stimulated interest in fielding a winning team. Many citizens were encouraged to subscribe by buying "stock." The Northampton team used the subscription money to raid rival Brattleboro's personnel, many of whom were from the Brown University squad. Although the college men were regarded as "amateurs," they were on salary, and the money was considered "financial aid."

The Northampton teams of the early 1890s were "independent" and scheduled opponents as circumstances dictated, improvising "championship" series, often with Brattleboro or Holyoke teams. The Northamptons faced many former and future big league stars with local connections, such as "Smiling Mickey" Welch and Tommy "Buttermilk" Dowd of Holyoke. Another fan favorite was the touring African-American team known as the Cuban Giants, a lineup that included such great players as Bud Fowler and Harry Stovey.

Operating an independent team was fraught with difficulties, however, and managers were frequently dismissed in midseason. Games were canceled without warning, purses withheld, players jumped the team, and finances often ran in the red. Northampton sought to recoup its losses by playing National League teams. Bringing in the big leaguers was risky, since the pros demanded a guarantee, but by raising admission to 50 cents, and with as many as 2000 "kranks" turning out, the Northampton independent baseball club survived.

The World Champion Boston Beaneaters (precursors of the Braves) beat Northampton in two close, well-played games, 6-5 in 1892 and 6-4 and 1893 before large crowds at the Driving Park. Also in 1893 Northampton played the Louisville Colonels and the St. Louis Browns (precursors of the Cardinals), even beating the Browns, 4-3!

Among the Northamptons who went on to major league careers were Fred Tenney (Boston and New York), James H. Bannon (St. Louis and Boston), Yale Murphy (New York) and Marty Bergen (Boston). Other players who made briefer appearances in the majors were Cyclone Ryan, Con Murphy, Billy Gannon, Fred Woodcock, and Frank Sexton. The rest of the Northamptons were baseball journeymen such as Captain H. E. Slater (who eventually settled in Northampton), and local favorites, Bay State's Ted Eagan and Florence's Jack Carr.

From 1891 to 1893 the Northamptons played over 130 games, winning twice as many as they lost. When Northampton disbanded in 1893 the Boston Globe bid farewell to a "great team."

back to Historic Highlights