1870 Forest City, Cleveland (Forest Citys)

These renderings are based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Minor details may be undocumented or difficult to determine. An educated guess is made to complete the renderings.

Rendering accuracy:Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on these uniforms:

Photo A

Dated 1870. Photo date based on appearance of player Fulmer, who only played with the team in 1870. Players wore a white uniform in this photo with a bib front and light-colored stockings. An account of the Forest City uniform from this era, given in 1937, described the trim and stocking color as blue. Based on the photo above, it could be suggested the stockings were a light shade of blue. The team’s cap was not shown in this photo.

Top from left: J Ward (69, 70), E White (70, 71, d. March 72), A Pratt (69-72), A Allison (69-72) and E Sutton (70-72). Front: G Kimball (70, 71), D White (68-72), J Carleton (70-72), G Heubel (70, 71) and C Fulmer (70). Years with team from Peter Morris, Base Ball Pioneers, 1850-1870 (2012), from Paul Batesel, Players And Teams Of The National Association, 1871-1875 (2012) and from Marshall D. Wright, The National Association Of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000). Image scan from the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland. Original photo by George M. Edmondson Photo, Cleveland.

Dated 1870. Detail view of photo A. Detail view shows monogram and buttons on shirt bib. The player at right wore a bib with a slightly different shape. This bib also had more buttons than the other bibs in this photo, and no trim around the edges. Note also how the “F-C” monogram was slightly different on this one bib when compared to others in this photo. The difference is most noticeable at the bottom of the letter “F” where the base of the letter is solid without an opening. All of these characteristics match the bib from the 1869 uniform and suggest the player wore a uniform from the previous season.

Photo B

Dated 1870. Cincinnati, left, and Forest City, Cleveland, right. Photo date based on appearance of Forest City players Heubel, Sutton, Carelton and Kimball, all in their first year with the team, in combination with all Cincinnati players, the last year of the team’s existence. Forest City played Cincinnati on May 12, May 13, May 31, October 6 and November 5, 1870. The Cleveland team wore a uniform in this photo that matched what was worn in the team photo from this same year, see photo A.

Forest City players in photo, top row from left:  J Ward (69, 70), G Heubel (70, 71), A Allison (69-72), E Sutton (70-72), J Carleton (70-72) and unidentified. Front row: G Kimball (70, 71), A Pratt (69-72), D White (68-72) and unidentified. Unidentified players possibly Parker, H Brown or A Smith. Years with team from Peter Morris, Base Ball Pioneers, 1850-1870 (2012), from Paul Batesel, Players And Teams Of The National Association, 1871-1875 (2012), and from Marshall D. Wright, The National Association Of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000). Unidentifed players and game dates also from Marshall Wright.

Dated 1870. Detail view of photo B. Detail view shows monogram on bib at front of shirt. Detail view also shows cap, which was not shown in photo A.

Written documentation on these uniforms:
May 31, 1870, Forest City, Cleveland, v. Cincinnati, at Cleveland, Association Grounds: “At three o’clock the penny tossing resulted in favor of the Reds—the Blue Stockings went to bat, and [the] game was called [i.e., started].” From the New York Clipper, June 11, 1870. The Forest City team was described as the “Blue Stockings.” Game date from 19cbaseball.com.

June 19, 1870, Forest City, Cleveland, v. Forest City, Rockford IL, at Cleveland: “In the eighth innings [sp] the Blue Stockings looked sick at another white wash.” From the New York Clipper, June 25, 1870. Cleveland was losing 24 to 7 after scoring no runs in the eighth inning.

August 1870: “The players have a new traveling uniform which is a very neat and tasty. It is a suit of light gray, dark shirt, white hat and blue-edged neck tie.” From the Cleveland Herald, August 11, 1870. Research from Jeremy Feador and also from Peter Morris, Base Ball Pioneers, 1850-1870 (2012). It is likely this report was not referring to a uniform worn on the field, but to street clothes worn by the team when traveling.

August 15, 1870, Forest City, Cleveland, v. Atlantic, Brooklyn, at Brooklyn, Capitoline Grounds: “The neatly uniformed visitors lost to Atlantic at Capitoline, 15 to 9. Forest City wore white flannel suits and blue stockings.” From Preston Orem, Baseball 1845-1881 From Newspaper Accounts (1961). Game date from Marshall Wright, The National Association of Base Ball Players, 1857-1870 (2000).

August 16, 1870, Forest City, Cleveland, v. Mutual, New York, at Brooklyn, Union Grounds: “Both nines appeared on the field in their regular uniforms, the Mutuals in white suits and green stockings, and the Forest Citys in white dress with blue stockings.” From the New York Clipper, August 27, 1870.

Team genealogy: Forest City, Cleveland 1865-1872
Forest City was formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1865. The team name comes from an early city moniker. Forest City joined the National Association (NA) in 1871. The NA was baseball’s first league operating 1871-1875. The club folded during the 1872 NA season. Their last game was August 19, 1872. –Information from Peter Morris and others, Base Ball Pioneers, 1850-1870 (2012) and from retrosheet.org.