For some time past rumors of a new local base ball organization have been in circulation, but nothing beyond vague intimations of undefined efforts to revive the old Stocks Park as an active ball field came to the surface. That there were efforts in that direction is vouched for by persons who were solicited to interest themselves in the project. That they have been discontinued is quite probable from the fact that nothing has been heard of them recently. Another movement, and one of recent origin, has, however, assumed a tangible form, and the Globe-Democrat is able to state positively that a new base ball club, with wealthy and liberal backing, is assured, and a plot of ground, 500 by 400 feet, situated on the southeast corner of Jefferson avenue and Dayton street, has been secured as the field of its operations. The organization is not yet perfected, and will not be for a few weeks, but another month will see it established on a firm basis, and bidding for first-class talent. Mr. Henry V. Lucas and a number of other young men of means and enterprise will control the new organization.
-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, October 23, 1883
So this is where we begin with the story of the 1884 Maroons. However, this is not exactly where the story begins.
There is no way to tell this tale without going into the background of Henry Lucas and how he reached the point, in October of 1883, where he formed a new club and a new league. So I'll have to talk about that for a bit and get into how the Union Association came about before I can start talking about the Maroons' first season.
And fair warning to my regular, loyal, brilliant readers (both of you): some of the material I'm going to post will be stuff that has already appeared on the site. In the past, I've touched on a lot of this stuff but I think it'll be interesting to see it all laid out in a chronological order. So bear with me and hopefully, without to much muss and fuss, we'll quickly get to baseball action.
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