VINTAGE BASEBALL IN COLUMBIA!
FREE ADMISSION | FAMILY FUN
Come see America’s national game as it was played in 1864…It’s the ultimate re-enactment!
Keystones of Harrisburg vs. Gettysburg Generals
GAME ONE: 11:00 AM • GAME TWO: 1:00 PM
August 19 th Doubleheader will Feature a Battle Between Gettysburg and Harrisburg
(Harrisburg, PA — August 1, 2023) Janson Field in Columbia will host a Vintage Base Ball doubleheader on Saturday, August 19th, between the Gettysburg Generals and the Keystones of Harrisburg. The two clubs play by the rules of 1864—an era when hitters swung at “lemon- peel” baseball and fielders did not wear gloves of any kind. The first game is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and the second game will begin at 1:00 p.m. with time for lunch in between. There will be activities for families between games and free popcorn and peanuts “until they’re gone.” There is no charge for admission. Spectators are advised to bring their own chairs.
Fans are also advised to keep their eyes on the action. While the Generals and Keystones may dress like reenactors, they are playing a real game, with lots of hits and runs and stolen bases—and occasionally some old-fashioned sleight of hand. Some of the rules that differ from today’s include 1) no over-running of first base; 2) pitchers must deliver the ball underhand from a box 45 feet away from home plate—which is the size and shape of a plate; 3) fair balls are called from the spot a batted ball first hits the ground; and 4) fielders have the option to catch batted balls on one bounce for an out. Of course, no self respecting base-baller would pass up a chance to grab a well-struck ball on the fly—and they have the swollen hands and fingers to prove it.
Supporters of the event include the Janson Foundation, as well as the Catholic War Veterans, who are providing lunch for the players. Prior to the game, the Generals and Keystones will gather in Mt. Bethel Cemetery at the burial site of Samuel D. Young, a longtime Columbia resident who founded the first organized team in the region—the Keystones—while serving as a railroad superintendent in Harrisburg. The Keystone Base Ball Club of Harrisburg formed in 1861 and held many fundraising exhibitions to benefit hospitals treating casualties from the Civil War. The Keystones were active into the 1870s, by which time there were dozens of teams throughout the Susquehanna Valley, including two very good ones in Columbia.
The Generals and Keystone are independent clubs that play matches against nines from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New York, New Jersey and New England. There are more than 300 Vintage Base Ball clubs around the country and several organized leagues, with a national event featuring 32 teams held each July in Gettysburg. In June, the Keystones played an exhibition match prior to the minor-league game between the York and Frederick minor- league teams at WellSpan Park. Most vintage games, however, played in open fields—as they were in the mid-1800s. The flat surface of Janson Park will be a luxury for the players on the 19th.
For more info visit: www.facebook.com/KeystoneBBC/
