First ever Silver Bat Classic to be held July 10

 

‘Base Ball’ as it was played 150 years ago

 

NORTH BROOKFIELD - In the years before the current North Brookfield Common was created, ball was being played in the park of the Congregational Church.

The trees were young then, and as the chapel and soldiers’ monument had not yet been erected, there was ample room for play. The games played there created universal excitement. The catcher stood near the southwest corner of the church, the thrower a little distance from the site of the present soldiers’ monument. One old gentleman remarked that the ground has never since been put to a better use.

The Lightfoot Base Ball Club was organized in the 1850’s in North Brookfield by a group of young men who proudly claimed they never met defeat. The Civil War broke them up, but their games resumed after the war, and it was in 1865 that the great $500 game was played that made the name of the Lightfoots famous throughout the land.

The game at West Brookfield against the Brookfield Club was begun on Friday, Aug. 18, 1865, and lasted until Sunday when the game broke up over a dispute. It was resumed on Monday morning and lasted until nearly noon that day. In the end, the Brookfield club was defeated and the purse was paid out to the Lightfoots.
During the 1860’s, the game of “Town Ball“ that had been played following the old Massachusetts rules gradually lost favor to the more modern New York style of play, with rules more closely resembling the game as we know it today.

In 1883, the final game of the Central Massachusetts League was played for the coveted Silver Bat between the North and East Brookfield teams.

During the 1880’s and 1890’s, North Brookfield was a veritable nursery for baseball players, and more than a few landed on professional teams.

James Carter, a pitcher of promise, did mound duty for the Haverhill club of the New England League. In the 1890’s, Bartholemew Howard was captain of the Williams College Nine, John Howe was pitcher and coach at Exeter, and many other local boys were members of various college and semi-professional teams.
Those that stand out in local lore are three remarkable catchers. The foremost among these is Connie Mack. Although born and raised in East Brookfield, he played many a game with and against his pals on the North Brookfield Common. He thereafter maintained a lifelong fondness for and strong ties with his old friends and the people of North Brookfield.

The second of those catchers with promise was Martin Bergen, who made a name for himself in the National League as the only catcher able to throw a man out at second base while squatting behind the plate. His promising career was cut short when, after suffering years of mental illness, he murdered his wife and two children, and then took his own life.

The third catcher of note was Martin’s younger brother, William, who for many years, was catcher for the Brooklyn team, and held the major league record as a handler of foul balls.
The first ever Silver Bat Classic will be held on the historic North Brookfield Common Saturday, July 10. (The 76th anniversary of Connie Mack Day)
The festivities will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The game starts at 11:30 a.m. Bring a lawn chair and spend the day! Period dress welcomed.

“Base Ball” as it was played 150 years ago in Massachusetts and the Brookfields.
This free fun family event, will recreate the famous ball game of 1865 between the North Brookfield and Brookfield Base Ball clubs, while celebrating the history of base ball in the Brookfields, from before the Civil War until Connie Mack Day in 1934.
Food and other vendors will be on site. Music will be provided by members of the Quabbin Community Band.
Historical items will be on display, including Connie Mack’s “Silver Bat” and more.
A ‘dress as your favorite ballplayer’ contest will be held. A pitch and hit with a reproduction 1860’s bat and ball and more.
Part of the Quaboag 350th celebrations, for more information visit Quaboag350 or e-mail- history9513@aol.com Join the Celebration!!!
“This program is supported in part by the North Brookfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council a state agency.”