1897 Lancaster PA (Lancasters, Maroons)
This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Important 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 this uniform:
Photo A
Dated mid-July 1897 to September 1897. Year of photo confirmed by the appearance of players Clausen and Hannivan, each of whom only played for Lancaster in 1897. A date of mid-July 1897 to September 1897 for this photo can be determined by Clausen, who signed with Lancaster between July 10 and July 13, 1897, and by the fact that the Atlantic League season ended September 19, 1897. Players wore a light gray uniform in this photo, with dark belts and stockings. The city name was arched across the chest. Several of the uniforms had lettering that appeared slightly lighter in color than the others. This was most apparent on the uniforms of the players standing at far right and also on the uniform of the player sitting at far left. This may indicate these uniforms were made at a different time. Twelve of the thirteen players in this photo wore short sleeves. One player, back row, fifth from left, wore 3/4 length sleeves. The shirts did not have a breast pocket. Newspapers from 1897 described this uniform as gray in color, with a maroon cap and stockings, and a “russet leather belt.”
Top row, five men standing from left: F West (95-97), F Clausen (Lan 97, Nor AtL 97, Rea AtL 97), S Seybold (95-97), P Ward (97-99) and G Leidy (95-99). Front, nine men sitting: J Wente (97-99), A Madison (97, 98), A Roth in back (95-98), J Yeager in front (95-97), unidentified, (F Rinn? mgr 96-98), J Buttermore (95-99), S LaRocque? (96, 97) and P Hannivan (Lan 97, Bro NL 97). Player IDs from Carson Lorey, who supported identifications of Buttermore and Roth with reference photos. Additional contributions on player IDs from Ken Samoil. Identification of Leidy from Chuck McGill and based on a photo published in the Houston Post, June 30, 1912. Madison identification based on a photo from Bob Mayer, The Asylum Base Ball Club, Middletown’s Crack Semi-Pro Team 1888-94, retrieved online April 29, 2020. Wente ID based on similarities to a player in the 1895 Rochester team photo, a team on which Wente played. Based on box scores from the end of the 1897 season the unidentified player may have been O Sprogell (Lan 96, 97, 99, Pat AtL 97). Years with team from baseball-reference.com. Clausen signing info based on box scores from The Sporting Life, July 17, 1897 and July 24, 1897. Season ending date from The Sporting Life, September 25, 1897. Image scan from the Spalding Base Ball Guide, 1898, published at the beginning of the 1898 season.
Dated mid-July 1897 to September 1897. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed the city name arching across the button placket. The lettering extended to the armpits, partially obscuring the first and last letters.
Written documentation on this uniform:
March 1897: “A special meeting of the directors of the Lancaster base ball club was held last evening. The directors […] adopted a uniform which consists of gray, with maroon cap and stockings and a russet leather belt.” From the Lancaster Morning News, March 9, 1897. Research from Bob Porter.
March 1897: “The [Lancaster uniforms] will be of gray, with maroon stockings and cap, and russet leather belt; across the breast of the shirt will be the word ‘Lancaster’ in maroon letters.” From The Sporting Life, March 27, 1897. Research from Chuck McGill.
April 1897: “The base ball cranks could not see their favorites on the diamond today, but they can see the new uniforms now in one of Arnold Bros.’ hat store windows. The caps are maroon and the suits are a gray, with the name, Lancaster, across the breast in maroon letters.” From the Lancaster Intelligencer, April 10, 1897, and from the Lancaster Daily New Era, April 10, 1897. Research from Bob Porter. Additional help from Jon Dunkle.
October 1897: “While the Maroons were not the greatest fielders […] what they lacked in this department at times they made up in hitting.” From The Sporting Life, October 2, 1897. A mention of the team nickname.
Team genealogy: Coming soon
Rendering posted: April 26, 2020
Diggers on this uniform: Bob Porter, Carson Lorey, Chuck McGill, Jon Dunkle, Ken Samoil,