FORT WAYNE BASEBALL
By: Stan Jordan
I’ve heard many times that the first night baseball game was played in Fort Wayne. Well, like all other history, there are 6 or 8 other cities that use the same claim to fame. Now that wasn’t the big league like we know of. They were minor teams or even sand lots.
But Fort Wayne did have some good baseball teams of all, I don’t know if you would call them sizes or ability, but they came from all around to play on a good team.
Most generations now don’t realize how important baseball was in those years of America growing up like 1865 or till now. Every weekend in every town, hamlit or city. After church on Sunday dinner, from sand lot to the local picnic to the first leagues, there was a ball game going on.
Whatever league Ft. Wayne was in there with some good teams. They were considered minor leagues.
They claim the first night baseball game was played in Fort Wayne in 1883. But the first major league night game was played in Cincinnati Crosley Field in 1935. The Reds beat the Phillies 2-1 but then I’ve seen other reports on that also.
Fort Wayne had what I would call semi-major league teams, like G.E. and City Light and a half of dozen other good ball clubs still up into the 1950’s. Later on, softball took over and Fort Wayne still had some darn good ball clubs.
Getting back to baseball, we had some boys from the Tri-State area who would play with the Ft. Wayne teams. Don Lichty from Antwerp, who had pitched for the Detroit Tigers, pitched for the G.E. Team. Wayne Fleck, who pitched for the White Sox, pitched some for City Light. Virgil Hoepner of Woodburn, a darn good athlete, played for a number of ball clubs there for years.
Sometime in America, baseball was a way of life for a certain era, It really was America’s past time.
See Ya!
MAUMEE RIVER CRUISE
By: Stan Jordan
Here it is the last part of April and spring is slowly getting here. In my estimation, we just had one of the coldest winters that I can remember.
The month of February was one of the warmest Februarys on record, and it dragged around and winter held on into what should have been spring. April is one of the coldest on record. It won’t be too long and the trees will be getting their leaves. Soon it will be time for you to take a cruise on the Scenic Maumee River and watch for the eagles nest, before the leaves come out. I recommend it.
Maumee Rentals LLC
Operating primarily from the landing at Riverside Veterans’ Memorial Park to Maumee Rentals here in Antwerp (longer routes are available). Monday through Saturday. For more information call 419-506-1049; Louis Beregszazi – owner.
See Ya!
HORSEPOWER HOLIDAY
By: Stan Jordan
Dan and Traci Bowers, owner of Advanced Chassis, will hold their annual Horsepower Holiday at the Paulding County Fairground on May 4th, 5th and 6th.
This is their annual event, but the last couple times it has rained by the inches, maybe this year will be nicer.
If you remember, this is where horsepower reins supreme, the bigger the engine the more noise and fun, and the better the pulling power.
There is all kind of lights, water, drains and parking for all types and size trucks, trailers and campers.
They also have activities for monster trucks, anything with an engine in it is welcome.
There is an adult type scavenger hunt. There is mud ball races of all types. This year they have plenty of rain shelter, two nights with live bands and Dan’s pride and joy…..a burn out contest.
See ya!
THESE BIG STONES
By: Stan Jordan
This is the picture of the huge stones up west by CR 424. If you look real close, it looks like they used some mortar then laid these stones in line to build the track up and make it level.
I wish there was someone to explain all of this to us, but that was the Wabash, Toledo and Western Railroad and was laid through the area between 1853 and 1860. It has changed owners and names a number of times.
That track is as straight as can be from Antwerp to Defiance. Just west of Antwerp it turns to the left a little and then is very straight into New Haven, and maybe that’s where these big stones came from. About a half mile on west of this place, the rails make a left turn and make a bee line towards New Haven, but right here close, it is bridged over and just maybe some of those big stones were used in the construction of that cross over and they might be left overs. But that little wall in the picture looks like it was laid up to make the track level and not wash away with erosion.
Now this is Monday the 23rd and we haven’t had any rain for a while so I was able to make a trip on Rd 160, which is a mud road on the west end. Now that is the old canal road that the railroad crosses over when it heads for Woodburn or New Haven.
And after seeing that area, that is where the big stones were used in the making of that over pass. The south side abutments are made of that type of big boulders
So it is my assumption that after they finished the overpass they came on toward town and stopped beside the water tower and unloaded the rest of the boulders, but I think they used some to make that retaining wall and then unloaded the rest as sort of storage.
The canal is about ¼ mile to the south of this picture.
See ya!
