Brooklyn Eckfords

• Win-Loss Record: 175-113-2 (.608)
• Ballpark: Manor House Grounds (1855-62), Union Grounds (1862-72)

The Brooklyn Eckfords were officially called the Eckford of Brooklyn club or simply Eckford. Named for shipbuilder Henry Eckford, the team was formed in 1855, and was one of the founding members of the National Association of Base Ball Players when the association was formed in 1857. When the Union Grounds opened in 1862, the team moved its home games there. They were one of the more popular tenants there as they played more home games (16) than any other team that claimed residence there.

By the late 1860s the Eckfords were considered to be one of the top clubs of the nation. When the National Association was formed in 1871, the Eckfords chose to remain an independent club. although they would play about 30 games against teams from the NA. The Eckfords joined the National Association for the 1872 season. The team lost its first 11 games by the month of July. After surviving a reorganization of the league, which saw the league membership drop from 11 to 6, the Eckfords managed to win only 3 of the next 18 games, and finished the season with a 3-26 record. After the season ended, the team folded.

Sources

• Peter Filichia: Green Cathedrals: The Ultimate Celebrations of All 273 Major League and Negro League Ballparks Past and Present, Addison Wesley Publishing Company (March 1993)
• James L. Terry: Long Before the Dodgers: Baseball in Brooklyn, McFarland, Jefferson, NC 2002. ISBN 978-0-7864-1229-7
• Marshall Wright: The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870, McFarland & Co., Jefferson, NC, 2000.
• Eckfords