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Are you one of
countless people
tuned into the Red
Sox/ Astros American
League Series this
week? Then perhaps
you’ll enjoy these
two easily
overlooked relics of
baseball's past.
Long part of our
collection, two
small, oddly-shaped,
hand-sewn dark brown
balls were objects
without a story. No
one in our group
knew what they
were. Then, as part
of our Treasures in
the Attic Series,
local historian (and
our go-to-guy on all
of our “what is
this?” questions)
Dennis Picard was
able to shed light
on them for us. We
sure are glad he
did. Treasures they
truly are! Dennis
identified them as
two very early
baseballs, likely
dating between 1840
and 1860. We have
no accession records
indicating when they
came into the
historical society’s
collection, so we
are not sure how
they came to be
here. Perhaps they
“came with the
house” as they say?

Early baseballs
c.1840-1860
Some credit a
Stoughton, MA man
named Ellis Drake
(1839-1912) with
creating the form of
the baseball cover.
His father was a
boot manufacturer,
so leather surely
would have been
readily available to
him. Per a 1905
story in the Boston
Journal Ellis Drake
recalled, “During
the decadence of
round ball and the
advent of baseball,
my father, John E.
Drake of Stoughton
was a shoemaker.
From his shop I
secured all kinds of
leather. My comrade
and myself used it
in covering balls in
the old forms, known
as the 'Lemon Peel'
and 'Belt'. My
experience revealed
to me that the
corners and joints
give out first, and
quick at that, and
when we threw a ball
at an opponent we
could inflict a
black and blue spot
on him to emphasize
a brilliant victory.
...One day in school
when the teacher was
not looking - it was
a rare moment - I
took a sheet of
paper and made a
diagram of a
baseball cover in
its present form.
...It was just a
thought that came to
me. Later I made
sample covers out of
paper and then cut
up some of my
father's leather,
until at last I had
a baseball cover
that was
serviceable. We
boys used the
baseball with the
covers in the
present form and
they lasted well and
gave us a chance to
play the game with
old-time enthusiasm
and without injury.”
Examining the two
balls in our
collection, it would
seem they are not of
Ellis Drake’s
design, but the
earlier ”lemon peel”
style. A strip of
leather is
hand-stitched
together around a
central core of an
unknown, though
lightweight,
substance. Peeking
through torn
stitches on the
larger of the two
baseballs one can
see a sort of bird’s
nest-like cluster of
thread and twine.
The baseballs are
much smaller and
lighter than today’s
standard issue
ones.
According to 19th
Century Baseball
historian Eric
Miklich, on his
fascinating website
all about the first
century of the game,
“Early baseballs
were made simply by
surrounding a core,
which could be any
solid substance,
with hand wound yarn
or string.
Oftentimes the
baseball would also
contain some form of
stuffing. The cover
was a one piece
cover, usually some
form of brown
leather, which was
stitched in a
fashion known as a
"lemon peel" or
"rose petal." The
four sides of the
single piece of
leather were sewn to
enclose the
baseball's core and
the stitching formed
an "X"
configuration. These
early baseballs were
extremely light and
soft and prior to
1845 runners were
allowed to be
"soaked" or hit with
a thrown ball as a
way to be put out.
With all baseballs
being hand made by
players and local
merchants there was
no standard size or
weight. From 1845 -
1853 "unofficially"
most balls were
quite small as
compared to today's
model and were
considerably
lighter. The covers
were now all made of
leather and the
shade varied from
medium brown to dark
brown.”
We sure hope some
Longmeadow children
had fun with them
during recess and
after school! Enjoy
a glimpse of
baseball from
another era. Go
Sox! To read more
about 19th Century
Baseball visit http://www.19cbaseball.com