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The 19th Century
Girls of Summer
On May 14, 2005, Little Leaguer Katie Brownell of Oakfield,
Genesee County, New York captivated the entire nation by throwing
a perfect game. Back in the 19th century, however, the gradual
involvement of women in baseball gradually paved the way for
modern women.
When the first public match of the newly regulated game of
“base ball” was played in Rochester, New York on June 18, 1858,
many ladies watched the Flour City defeat the University of
Rochester nine. Nationwide, as baseball began to grow in
popularity, the presence of women was encouraged as a civilizing
influence.
Although many women in New York State’s Genesee Valley and
elsewhere had probably joined male siblings or cousins in playing
one of baseball’s early predecessors, only an occasional tomboy
may have wanted to play a game promoted as “manly” to justify
recreational team sports for grown men. Long skirts with
cumbersome hoops and yards of fabric didn’t help either.
However, by 1859, some progressive health advocates began
promoting physical fitness for women. When Vassar College opened
in 1866 to offer women a higher education comparable to those
offered to men, physical fitness was part of the curriculum. Soon
women’s recreational community clubs began to form, and eventually
professional teams.
Women continued to be enthusiastic fans as well. When the first
fully professional team in Rochester, New York played in the
city’s first permanent ball park in 1877, many women watched. They
wore earrings shaped like baseball bats, and young girls adapted
their clothing to resemble the team uniforms. The Democrat and
Chronicle mentioned that a women’s club was forming in one of the
city wards, but gave not further notice.
On August 11, 1879, two traveling women’s professional teams
played a game in Rochester. Like their predecessors, they relied
on the lure of novelty to draw crowds. However, in the 1890s a
golden age for women’s baseball dawned. Hundreds of professional
bloomer teams competed throughout the US, Canada, and even Japan.
Many players were mediocre, but others, such as Maud Nelson and
Lizzie Arlington were skilled enough to play on men’s teams.
Much progress was made in the early 20th century. Alta Weiss
earned her tuition to medical school by playing on several men’s
semipro teams. In the 1920s Lizzie Murphy became the first woman
to play against a men’s major league team, and in 1931 Beatrice
(Jackie) Mitchell signed a major league contract and struck out
Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig during exhibition games. Her minor league
career ended when baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis
ruled that baseball was too strenuous for women. After World War
I, many women played on industrial and commercial teams, and in
1943 the All American Girls’ Professional Baseball League helped
sustain an interest in baseball during WWII.
In 1974 girls were admitted to Little League. Ila Borders
became the first woman to win a men’s college baseball game in
1994, and the Colorado Silver bullets began to compete admirably
against men’s local teams.
Women also continued to make off-the field contributions to
baseball throughout the nation. In Rochester, Naomi Silver serves
as chairman of the board and chief operating manager of the Class
AAA Rochester Red Wings and six women currently serve on the Board
of Directors. Board member Dorothy Fox is also employed as a major
league scout.
To learn more about 19th Century
Women's Baseball visit the Genesee
Country Village & Museum or their
Baseball Pages.
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Priscilla Astifan is a baseball historian and freelance writer, a
recent graduate of SUNY Brockport (bachelor's in English, and also
American
Studies) and a full time homemaker. She lives in Webster, New York
with her husband. They have two two grown sons and two
grandchildren
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