Throwback Thursday: A Glimpse of Seneca’s Baseball Past
This week’s Throwback Thursday takes us back to 1906 with a fascinating discovery from our museum’s image archives—a postcard featuring the Seneca baseball team. While the photograph captures a moment in local sports history, the identities of the players remain a mystery. Who were these athletes, and what stories might they have to tell?
A search through digitized Seneca newspapers uncovered an article about the baseball team, which may provide clues to identifying the individuals in the postcard.
NAT’L BLOOMERS VS. SENECA.
7 to 6 for Seneca—10 Innings Played to Decide.
The game Tuesday between the Bloomer Girls and the Seneca baseball teams resulted in victory for the latter in the tenth inning. It was a good game all through and the individual plays are too numerous to mention. The batteries were both in good trim. Grindle’s pitching is as good as ever. Carman’s invincible throw to second is still death-dealing to the runner.
The lineup and score by innings were as follows:
| Bloomers | Position | Seneca |
|---|---|---|
| Garrett | c. | Carman |
| Dennis | p. | Grindle |
| DeMoore | 1st. | Vorhes |
| Jessie | 2nd. | O. Carman |
| Kline | s.s. | Funk |
| Dean | 3rd. | Osborne |
| Gurtie | l.f. | Popple |
| Danny | c.f. | Fisher |
| Kiddo | r.f. | Dennis |
Innings:
| Inning | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B’s | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seneca | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Hits off Grindle 6, off Dennis 6. Struck out by Grindle 7, by Dennis 8.
In the ninth inning, T. Carman had his index fingernail on his right hand torn loose so that it came off after the game, but he finished the game and the last out for the Bloomers was made by his throw to second.
from the 7 June 1906 Courier Democrat
This thrilling matchup between Seneca and the Bloomer Girls gives us a glimpse into the town’s baseball history in 1906. While the newspaper captured the excitement of the game, the identities of the players in the postcard remain a mystery.
Do you recognize anyone in the photo or have stories about early Seneca baseball teams? We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to share any insights in the comments or reach out to us. Every clue helps piece together our community’s history.