Talk:Lancaster, PA

Moved from Lancaster Barnstormers, to be integrated into the approprite articles:

Source is http://www.lancasterhistory.org/collections/exhibitions/Baseball/baseball1.htm

History of Lancaster Baseball

Clipper Magazine Stadium, current home of the Barnstormers]]

The Beginning

Baseball first came to Lancaster County in the 1860's by soldiers returning home from the Civil War. They learned the rules while serving in the military and wanted to continue playing. The very first professional baseball teams in Lancaster were the Lancaster Lancasters and the Lancaster Ironsides. The Lancasters played in the Keystone Association and the Ironsides played in the Eastern League, both starting in 1884. The following season, the Lancasters joined the Eastern League, and the two teams became bitter rivals. They competed against each other for fan support, league affiliation, and money at the gate. At its peak, insults and refusals to play against each other were the norm. The teams finally agreed to play each other at the end of the 1884 season, in which the Ironsides defeated the Lancasters after seven very-close games. The Lancasters were the only team to continue play in the next season.

The 1890's

In the 1894-1895 season, a team called the Lancaster Chicks played in the Keystone Association. An all-Black team called the Lancaster Giants followed in 1887, and many Lancastrians supported the team despite the social pressure of the day. The Giants hosted many exhibition games against the Philadelphia Giants of the Keystone Club.

Between the years 1896 and 1899, the first team called the Lancaster Maroons played in the original Atlantic League. In 1905, the second inception of the Maroons played in the Tri-State League.

Lancaster Red Roses: The First Era

The year 1906 brought the Lancaster Red Roses, who changed their name from the Maroons. The new name was unveiled to the public a few days before the season and drew heavy criticism from the rival York White Roses from nearby York. The White Roses manager predicted, in spite, that the Red Roses would be at the bottom of the standings column. The Red Roses went on to win the first game, 9-4, and an even heavier rivalry began. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic Wars of the Roses. The Red Roses folded because of financial pressures in the Great Depression of 1929.

Lancaster Red Roses: The Second Era

In 1932, a new team by the name of the Lancaster Red Sox, an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, played in the city. The team returned to its original name of Red Roses in 1940. The Lancaster Red Roses played in the Interstate League from 1940 to 1952, and were affiliated with the Philadelphia Athletics from 1944 to 1947 and the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1948 to 1952. The Red Roses joined the Piedmont League in 1954, and were affiliated with the Philadelphia/ Kansas City Athletics from 1954-1955 season. They became members of the Eastern Professional Baseball League in 1958, and were affiliated with the Detroit Tigers for the 1958-1959 season, the Chicago Cubs from 1959 to 1961, and spent their last season ever in 1961 as an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.