See 'base ball' played 19th-century style June 30

Posted June 25, 2019 11:00 pm

Submitted by McHenry County Historical Society

Baseball has changed a lot since it was played in 1859. But it's still possible to catch up on the original lingo and rules that first made the game great.

The McHenry County Historical Society's "club nine," the McHenry County "Independants," will play the first of two games this season starting at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 30, at Algonquin Road Elementary School, 975 Algonquin Road in Fox River Grove, against the Chicago Salmon.

A second "match" begins at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, in Grayslake.

Both events are free.

This type of Civil War-era baseball, or "base ball" as it was called, differed radically from today's rules. Players did not use gloves. A ball caught on the first bounce was considered an out, and a ball was considered fair or foul based solely on where it first touched the ground.

For information, contact McHenry County Historical Society administrator Kurt Begalka at (815) 923-2267 or email kurt@mchenrycountyhistory.org.

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