An 1884 Triple-Header At The Compton Avenue Grounds

There will be three games at the Compton Avenue Park to-day.  The Wainwrights and Mound Social Clubs' nines will occupy the diamond at 9:30 a.m.; at 1:30 p.m. the Spikers and Excelsiors will cross bats, and at 4 o'clock the Athletics and Compton Browns (colored nines) will meet.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 7, 1884

The Black Stockings Meet The Athletics

An immense attendance witnessed the meeting yesterday afternoon at the Union Grounds of the Black Stocking and Athletic, colored clubs.  The latter were badly overmatched, but the game was prolific of amusing features and created more enthusiasm than any game played in St. Louis this season.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 1, 1884


I had this box score in my files so I've probably posted it before but I'm putting it up again in the context of the Globe's 1884 baseball coverage.  While going through the 1884 Maroon's season, I've complained about the lack of coverage of the black St. Louis clubs.  But all the sudden, at the end of August 1884, the Globe started to give us some information.  And, as you'll see tomorrow, their sudden interest in the black clubs of the area extended beyond the Black Stockings.    

It Was Too Good To Be True

It has been announced that there will be no charge for admission to the game between the colored clubs at Union Park to-morrow, which is true so far as the gate and free seats are concerned.  For seats in the grand stand, however, a small charge will be made.  It was feared that the public might be mislead by the announcement, hence this correction.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 30, 1884 


Okay, first of all, let's be clear that there will be no charge for the free seats.  Secondly, the reason the public may have been confused about all of this was because the Globe, the day before, stated that admission to the Black Stocking/Athletic game was going to be free.  They specifically stated that there would be no charge for seating in the grand stands. 

But don't think I'm complaining.  The Globe did correct their error, something that modern newspapers usually refuse to do.  And this was back to back issues that featured multiple pieces on the goings on of the Black Stockings.  So I'm rather pleased with that.   

A Free-For-All Affair

The colored Black Stockings and the colored Athletics, each claiming to be the champion colored club of the city, will play a deciding game at the Union grounds on Sunday next.  The Union management have tendered the park to the colored troops, and the latter have concluded to make it a free-for-all affair.  There will be no charge either to the grounds or grand stand.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 29, 1884


Holy cow - two references to black baseball clubs in one issue of the Globe.  Be still my heart.  And what about free admission to a championship game?  Can't imagine anything like that these days.   

The Black Stockings Romp

The colored ball tossers, the Black Stockings and the Athletics, played a game yesterday morning at Compton Avenue Park, the Black Stockings winning by a score of 20 to 2.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, June 2, 1884


Would it have killed the Globe to give us a box score?  In their June 2nd issue, they published a box score for a game between two American Association reserve teams, a game involving the Lucas Amateurs and some random game between clubs from Akron and Evansville, as well as the Maroons game.  They also published a couple of paragraphs on a muffin game in Mexico, Missouri.  But they give the Black Stockings one sentence.  

The 1879 Brown Stockings

The Globe-Democrat is in a position today to announce that St. Louis is to be represented on the ball field this season with a strong team, made up of several first-class professionals and one or two amateurs who have already made their mark as players of rare skill.  The nine will be known as the Brown Stockings and will make application for membership in the National Association in a day or two.  Contracts have already been signed with seven players, and negotiations are now pending with others.  The team will play its opening game this afternoon at the Grand Avenue Park, when an idea as to its merits can be formed by all who attend.  The Browns will have as opponents the Athletics, to whom the pennant emblematic of the amateur championship was awarded last season...In order that the men may obtain suitable practice, the club will be happy to play the strongest picked team that can be organized at any time and the amateurs should profit by the chance, as it will give them the best kind of training to be utilized in the race for their pennant.  The game to-day will no doubt be watched with a great deal of interest, as one or two engagements hinge on the performances of the men.  It is the intention of the Browns to entertain all foreign clubs who desire to visit St. Louis this summer.  They also intend to invade the dominions of the Northwestern League.  Should the club receive a living patronage it will doubtless be the means of securing a first-class League team in St. Louis next year.    

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 13, 1879

The Globe lists the team as follows:  Decker, catcher; McGinnis, pitcher; Houtz, first base; McDonald, second base; Pearce, third base; Morgan, shortstop; Cuthbert, left field; Croft, center field; Magner, right field.  

For The Benefit Of The Orphans

Next Sunday afternoon the best amateur base ball talent in St. Louis will engage in a grand tournament, at Grand Avenue Park, for the benefit of the orphans.  As the time approaches the excitement among the friends of the clubs increases.  The players themselves occupy every spare moment in practicing and each nine feels confident that it will come out ahead.  Marion Simpson, late pitcher of the Worcester Base Ball Club, Worcester, Mass., is now in the city, and it is rumored, will pitch for the Grand Avenue team.  The Athletics are in fine trim, and the Willows will play a strong nine.  The South St. Louis Grays are said to be working with a will.  The prizes are a beautiful pennant and bat.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 11, 1878

While this gives us a little information about what was going on in St. Louis in the first year of the Interregnum, I'm really posting this because I liked the phrase "for the benefit of the orphans."  I like the fact that it's just "the orphans" and not a specific orphanage or group of orphans.  We're doing it for the orphans-all of them.  Also "For the Benefit of the Orphans" sounds like it could be the title of a Brother Cadfael mystery. 

Two More Black Clubs

Manager Kelly's benefit at Compton Avenue Park was a success. Three games were played. The Comptons defeated the St. Louis Reds 12 to 6 in the morning. At 3:30 p.m. the Eclipse Reserves and Athletics took to the diamond, the Athletics winning by a score of 13 to 4. At 4 p.m. the Eclipse and Compton Browns, colored nines, opposed each other, the result being a score of 17 to 12 in favor of the Eclipse team.

-St. Louis Globe-Democrat, September 1, 1884

Lots of information here. I had seen a reference before to the Athletics as a black club but wasn't sure that they were from St. Louis. Now I'm reasonably certain. The Compton Browns is a club that I've never heard of before. So we can add both of these to the list of 19th century black baseball clubs in St. Louis.

Again, we're seeing the black clubs playing at the Compton Avenue Grounds, with the possibility that one, the Compton Browns, had a more formal relationship with the park and/or Thomas McNeary. I think it's safe to say that the Compton Avenue Grounds were the center of black baseball in St. Louis during this era. While there are sources that have a few games being played at the Grand Avenue Grounds, the vast majority of games played by the black clubs of St. Louis, that I'm aware of, were played at the Compton Avenue Grounds.