Lebanon, Ill.
A match was played between the Eclipse Club of St. Louis and the McKendree College nine in this place, resulting in the defeat of the former. Score - E. 34, McK. C. 79.
-Our Boys and Girls, Vol. 2, No. 51 (December 21, 1867)
The best evidence I had, previous to this, was that baseball was first played at McKendree College in 1868 or 1869, at the earliest. Augustus Charles Bernays graduated from the school in 1872 and, in one of his biographies, it was stated that he was a member of the first baseball club at McKendree. So I was thinking '68 or, more likely, the spring of '69.
But here we have a contemporary account of a game played by a McKendree College club in 1867. And why is this significant? It's really early for an east-side baseball club and it may be the earliest reference to a ball game on the east side. I checked my notes really quick and I have a reference to clubs in Belliville in 1869 and, of course, there are the Alton clubs in the antebellum era. But the Alton clubs didn't play the New York game. I'm going to double check all of this but there's a good chance that the McKendree College club is the first baseball club on the east-side that played the New York game.
Like I said, I'm going to look into this and get back to you. I don't know if the McKendree club was the first baseball club on the east-side or not, and, in all honesty, I'm doubting it but, at first glance, I don't see much evidence of anything before 1867. And that has peaked my interest.
But here we have a contemporary account of a game played by a McKendree College club in 1867. And why is this significant? It's really early for an east-side baseball club and it may be the earliest reference to a ball game on the east side. I checked my notes really quick and I have a reference to clubs in Belliville in 1869 and, of course, there are the Alton clubs in the antebellum era. But the Alton clubs didn't play the New York game. I'm going to double check all of this but there's a good chance that the McKendree College club is the first baseball club on the east-side that played the New York game.
Like I said, I'm going to look into this and get back to you. I don't know if the McKendree club was the first baseball club on the east-side or not, and, in all honesty, I'm doubting it but, at first glance, I don't see much evidence of anything before 1867. And that has peaked my interest.
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