1883 Ironside, Lancaster PA (Ironsides)
Left: This rendering is based on written documentation for uniform style and color. No visual documentation is known and an artist’s conceptualization is used to create the rendering.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Right: This rendering is 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 rendering.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
Visual documentation on these uniforms:
Photo A
Dated late August 1883 to October 1883. Year and date range of photo determined by a newspaper report from August 30, 1883 which described in detail the uniform that the players wore in this photo. The report stated that “the new uniform of the Ironsides baseball club have been finished” and that on September 3, 1883 “the club will make their first appearance in their new uniforms.” The uniform shirt was described as “white twilled flannel” with red lace ties made of “silk cord” and a “large red ornamental capital ‘I’ on the right breast.” The pants were described as “gray chevoit” (gray wool) and the stockings as “woolen” and red in color. The cap was white with red horizontal bands and the belts were “red silk web.” The report also mentioned the manufacturer for each item of the uniform, see written documentation below.
Top row, from left: J Schweitzer, (G Myers mgr) and W Zecher. Middle: F Schiller, J Miller and H Kelly. Front: W Hyndman, D Oldfield, E Sixsmith and J Hofford. Player IDs from the Lancaster Sunday News, March 29, 1925, which published this photo on this day, see photo B. The Sunday News misspelled some of the player’s names and correct spellings have been supplied by Carson Lorey, Bob Porter and Nigel Ayres. Image scan from Bob Porter, and also from Nigel Ayres.
Photo B
Dated late August 1883 to October 1883. This is the same team photo as shown above, see photo A. However in this image, published in a newspaper in 1925, more of the foreground of the photo was visible. The photo caption listed the player’s names and their positions, as well as stating that “the picture was taken in 1883, the first year of the team.” The caption from 1925 also mentioned the photo had been purchased “from the effects of the late George Myers, manager of the team.” Myers was listed as the man in street clothes standing in the back row. Image from the Lancaster Sunday News, March 29, 1925. Image scan from Carson Lorey.
Dated late August 1883 to October 1883. Detail view of photo B. Detail view showed the lace ties and the large letter “I” on the player’s right breast. In the photo the letter reflected the light of the photo studio indicating the fabric may have been made of silk. The lace ties were spaced close together and players styled their laces in an inverted v-pattern. The white cap was in the pillbox style with two horizontal red bands around the body of the cap and possibly red trim along the edge of the visor. Similar to the letter on the shirt, the bands on the cap may also have been silk, however a Lancaster newspaper in August 1883 reported that the cap had “alternate stripes of white and red flannel.” The cap also had a white cord above the brim. This white cord can be seen overlapping the lower red horizontal band on the cap shown at right.
Written documentation on these uniforms:
June 1883: “Last evening the Ironsides baseball club held a meeting at the Girard house, and the contract for the construction of the fence around the grounds was awarded to Charles Hensler. The fence will be eight feet high, with an entrance gate and ticket office. The following uniform was adopted: gray cap, shirt and pants, dark blue stockings and belt, and white shoes. It was resolved to issue season tickets, which will admit the holders to all games for $3. Ladies, accompanied by gentlemen escorts, will be admitted free. The first game will be played on June 16, with the college nine.” From the Lancaster Intelligencer, June 7, 1883. Research from Bob Porter. Note that the uniform described in this report was replaced by a new uniform in late August 1883, see below.
August 1883: “The new uniform of the Ironsides baseball club have been finished. The shirts and breeches were made by Myers & Rathfon. The shirt is of white twilled flannel of superior quality. It is fastened in front with a red silk cord lace, has a large red ornamental capital ‘I’ on the right breast, and a pocket of the left breast. The breeches are of the finest miller’s gray chevoit [i.e., gray wool], they extend a few inches below the knee where they are secured by a gum elastic chord hemmed in the goods. A bright red cord along the outer seam affords a pleasant contrast to the gray goods. The cap and stockings were furnished by C. F. Buchmiller. The stockings are woolen of a bright scarlet hue. The cap is of the jockey pattern, made of alternate stripes of white and red flannel, with a red button on top, the shield [i.e., visor] being white. The belts are red silk web. They are furnished by A. Miley. The shoes, of regulation pattern, are made of buff leather and brown canvas. They were furnished by John W. Hiemenz. The club will make their first appearance in their new uniforms in the game to be played by them in Easton, on Monday next [September 3, 1883].” From the Lancaster Intelligencer, August 30, 1883. Research from Bob Porter.
1883, referenced in April 1884: “The [1884] uniform will be the same as last season [1883], viz., white shirts with red letter ‘I’ on left side, gray pantaloons, red belt and stockings, white cap trimmed with red and leather shoes.” From The Sporting Life, April 16, 1884. Research from Ed Morton.
Team genealogy: Ironside, Lancaster PA 1883-1884
Ironside, originally formed in Lancaster PA as an amateur team as early as 1871, was organized as an independent professional team in June 1883. They played as such in 1883 and for a portion of the 1884 season before joining the Eastern League (EL) on May 26, 1884, although July 17 and July 22 have also been written as the date. The EL was a minor league operating between 1884 and 1886. Ironside was not accepted into the EL for 1885 season and afterwards played as a semi-pro and then amateur team. Info from Bob Porter. July 22 date from Baseball America, The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (1997).
Rendering posted: April 4, 2021
Diggers on this uniform: Bob Porter, Carson Lorey, Ed Morton, Nigel Ayres,