Guide to the Stanley Person Baseball Collection, BCMS.0065 Finding aid prepared by Sarah Quick, Reference Archivist
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit July 03, 2019
Brooklyn Public Library - Brooklyn Collection 10 Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn, NY, 11238 718.230.2762 [email protected] Guide to the Stanley Person Baseball Collection, BCMS.0065
Table of Contents
Summary Information ...... 3 Historical Note...... 4 Scope and Contents...... 5 Arrangement...... 5 Administrative Information ...... 6 Related Materials ...... 6 Controlled Access Headings...... 7 Collection Inventory...... 8 Series I: Brooklyn Dodgers...... 8 Series II: Non-Brooklyn Baseball Items...... 12 Series III: Non-Baseball Photographs and Prints...... 15
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Summary Information
Repository Brooklyn Public Library - Brooklyn Collection
Title Stanley Person Baseball Collection
Date 1926-1994
Extent 6.2 Linear feet , 6 baseball boxes, 2 document boxes, 1 half size document box, 1 postcard box, 1 oversize flat box
Location Brooklyn Collection Morgue, Shelves 24.3-24.5
Language English
Abstract This collection includes tickets, programs, photographs, postcards, autographed baseballs, and other memorabilia from various baseball teams. Items from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and postcards depicting various New York City buildings and bridges are also included.
Preferred Citation This collection should be cited as the Stanley Person Baseball Collection, Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn Collection.
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Historical Note
The origins of baseball may trace to the games of cricket and rounders, played in Great Britain as early as the 15th century. British colonists began playing similar ball and bat games, with the first mentions of "baste ball" and "baseball" appearing in the United States the late 18th century. Abner Doubleday is often credited with inventing modern baseball in Cooperstown, New York, however it’s now believed his involvement was exaggerated, perhaps in an attempt to establish baseball as a solely American sport. Modern baseball rules were written in 1845 by Alexander Cartwright, who also founded The Knickerbockers, a New York City baseball club that played in the first officially recorded baseball game on June 19, 1846 at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey. Over the next 30 years amateur teams were formed all over the country, leading to the creation of The National Association of Base Ball Players, which counted over 400 clubs by 1867. In 1869 the Cincinnati Red Stockings were established as the sport’s first professional team, causing a rift between the professional and amateur players. The National Association of Professional Baseball Players formed in 1871 as baseball’s first attempt at an all professional league. Frustrations over rule breaking and contract jumping lead to the formation of splinter leagues, including the National Base Ball League in 1876 and the Western League, which became the American League in 1901. The National League and the American League currently make up Major League Baseball (MLB), the oldest professional sports league in the United States. Baseball clubs were introduced to Kings County as early as the 1820s, with over 71 amateur teams playing in the county by 1851. Early prominent clubs included the Atlantics and the Ekfords, drawing players from the blue collar workforce and attracting thousands of fans to games played all over the borough. In 1883, Charles Byrne opened the Washington Park baseball field on 5th Avenue and 3rd Street in Park Slope and formed a team called the Brooklyn Grays. The team joined the American Association in 1884 and the National League in 1890, by which time they were known as the Bridegrooms. In 1891 Washington Park burned down and the team was moved to Eastern Park, a 12,000 seat stadium in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood. The team was still known as the Bridegrooms but picked up several nicknames including the Superbas and the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers, named after borough residents who had to “dodge” oncoming electric trollies. In 1898 Byrne died and was succeeded by his assistant, Charlie Ebbets. By 1899 Ebbets gained majority control over the team and in 1912 moved them to Ebbets Field, a new 37,000 seat stadium in Flatbush. The team played and lost their first World Series game in 1916, in front of the largest crowd in baseball history. By 1920 the team was officially known as the Brooklyn Dodgers, but was also called the Daffiness Boys, a nickname reflective of their performance on the field and outrageous behavior of players and management. The death of Charlie Ebbets in 1925 left the team open to poor management and a series of disastrous trades that led to a drop in ticket sales and a field in need of repairs. Things began to turn around in 1938 when Leland MacPhail was brought in as General Manager. MacPhail got rid of the Daffiness Boys and replaced them with some of the Dodgers' most iconic players, including Pee Wee Reese and Pete Reiser.
- Page 4 - Guide to the Stanley Person Baseball Collection, BCMS.0065 When the U.S. entered World War II MacPhail and several players enlisted. Branch Rickey was brought in from St. Louis as the new General Manager. In 1947 he signed Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play on a major league baseball team. The 1947 season kicked off an era often called the “glory days” with star players including Roy Campanella, Duke Snider and Gil Hodges. Brooklyn supported their team with steady game attendance, merchandise sales and their own fight song, “Follow the Dodgers.” After years of close-calls and near-misses the team finally captured a World Series title in the 1955 season. After 43 years Ebbets Field was in a state of disrepair and team owner Walter O’Malley began to make plans for a new stadium in Brooklyn. O’Malley’s plan for a city subsidized stadium at the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenue that would provide more seats, parking and access to public transportation was rejected by Robert Moses, who proposed an alternative location in Queens, the eventual site of Shea Stadium. O’Malley began negotiations with the city of Los Angeles, which promised a growing market and space for a new stadium. The National League authorized the move on May 28, 1957 and the Los Angeles Dodgers played their first game on April 18, 1958.
Scope and Contents
This bulk of this collection comprises items from various baseball teams including the Brooklyn Dodgers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Yankees. Items from the Brooklyn Dodgers include autographed baseballs from the 1941-1957 seasons, tickets, game programs, and trading cards. Photographs and postcards depict players, staff and Ebbets Field. Additional baseball items include various team programs, tickets, postcards, and stamps, as well as general baseball trivia books. Items from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and postcards depicting various New York City buildings and bridges are also included.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in three series: Series I: Brooklyn Dodgers is arranged in six subseries by type. Folders within each subseries are arranged alphabetically, baseballs are arranged chronologically. Series II: Non-Brooklyn Baseball Items is arranged in six subseries by type. Folders within each subseries are arranged alphabetically. Series III: Non-Baseball Photographs and Prints is contained in two folders with no item arrangement.
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Administrative Information
Publication Information Brooklyn Public Library - Brooklyn Collection
Access Collection is located in the Brooklyn Collection at the Central Branch at Grand Army Plaza. The collection may only be used in the library and is not available through interlibrary loan. Requests to view the collection must be made at least 48 hours in advance of visit.
Use While many items in the Brooklyn Collection are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Provenance This collection was donated by Diane Person in March 2004, with additional materials donated in June 2005.
Related Materials
Related Archival Materials note Al Todres Brooklyn Dodgers Collection Photographs from our Digital Collections Golenbock, Peter. Bums--an oral history of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Putnam, 1984. Krell, David. "Our bums" : the Brooklyn Dodgers in history, memory and popular culture. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2015. McGee, Bob. The greatest ballpark ever : Ebbets Field and the story of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Rivergate Books, 2005. Prince, Carl E. Brooklyn's Dodgers : the bums, the borough, and the best of baseball, 1947-1957. Oxford University Press, 1996.
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Controlled Access Headings
Genre(s)
• Photographs • Postcards • Prints
Subject(s)
• Baseball teams--United States--History • Baseball--United States--History--20th century • Brooklyn Dodgers (Baseball team) • Los Angeles Dodgers (Baseball team) • National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
- Page 7 - Guide to the Stanley Person Baseball Collection, BCMS.0065 Series I: Brooklyn Dodgers
Collection Inventory
Series I: Brooklyn Dodgers
Subseries I: Baseballs
Box 1
Baseballs, Autographed , 1941-1944
Box 2
Baseballs, Autographed , 1945-1948
Box 3
Baseballs, Autographed , 1949-1952
Box 4
Baseballs, Autographed , 1953-1957
Box 5
Baseballs, Autographed , undated
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Box 6
Baseballs, Autographed , undated
Subseries II: Memorabilia
Box 7
Folder 1: Envelopes , 1982
Folder 2: Patch, Pin and Keychain
Folder 3: Team Yearbook , 1957
Folder 4: Trading Cards
Box 11
Folder 1: Oversize Pennant , 1955
Morgue Flat File
Poster
Subseries III: Ephemera
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Box 7
Folder 5: Baseball Magazine , 1937
Folder 6: Game Programs , 1942-1956
Folder 7: Press, Radio, and TV Guide , 1953
Folder 8: Stamps, Jackie Robinson , 1982
Folders 9-11: Team Rosters , 1931-1958
Folder 12: Tickets , 1942-1955
Folder 13: Welcome Home Dinner Program, Autographed , 1949
Box 11
Folder 2: Oversize Spring Training Schedule , 1954
Subseries IV: Clippings
Box 7
Folder 14: Clippings , 1955-1957, 1990-1992
- Page 10 - Guide to the Stanley Person Baseball Collection, BCMS.0065 Subseries V: Correspondence
Subseries V: Correspondence
Box 7
Folder 15: Walter O’Malley to Rud Rennie , 1955
Subseries VI: Prints and Photographs
Box 7
Folder 16: Photographs, Players
Folder 17: Photographs, Players, Autographed
Folder 18: Photographs, Team , 1947-1957
Folder 19: Cartoon , 1955
Folder 20: Postcards, Ebbets Field
Folder 21: Postcards, Players, Autographed
Box 11
Folder 3: Oversize Print, Ebbets Field
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Series II: Non-Brooklyn Baseball Items
Subseries I: Memorabilia
Box 8
Folder 1: Baseball Stat Finder , 1989
Folders 2-3: Baseball Trivia Books , 1975-1994
Folder 4: Calendars , 1987-1991
Folder 5: Sticker, New York Giants
Folder 6: Trading Cards
Folder 7: Yearbook, Los Angeles Dodgers , 1966
Box 11
Folder 4: Oversize Paper Dolls Book , 1985
Folder 5: Oversize Ladies Day Sign, Yankees
Subseries II: Ephemera
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Box 8
Folder 8: Banquet Program, Autographed , 1988
Folder 9: Brochure, Hotel Homosassa
Folder 10: Press, Radio, and Television Guides, Los Angeles Dodgers , 1959-1966
Folder 11: Stamps , 1987-1989
Folder 12: Tickets, Yankees , 1949
Box 11
Folder 6: Oversize Placemat, Mets, Autographed
Subseries III: Clippings
Box 8
Folder 13: Advertisements
Box 11
Folder 7: Oversize New York Times Commemorative Edition: The Glory Days of Baseball 1947-1957
Folder 8: Oversize New York Times, Clippings , 1951-1956
- Page 13 - Guide to the Stanley Person Baseball Collection, BCMS.0065 Subseries IV: Correspondence
Subseries IV: Correspondence
Box 8
Folder 14: Lee Scott to Al , undated
Subseries V: Prints and Photographs
Box 9
Postcards, Players and Staff
Postcards, Players, Autographed
Postcards, Parks and Stadiums
Box 10
Folder 1: Postcards, Book , 1978
Folder 2: Photographs, Fans
Folder 3: Photographs, Players
Folder 4: Photographs, Stadiums
- Page 14 - Guide to the Stanley Person Baseball Collection, BCMS.0065 Subseries VI: The National Baseball Hall of Fame
Folder 5: Photographs, Teams, Los Angeles Dodgers and Yankees
Box 11
Folder 9: Oversize Prints, Parks and Stadiums
Subseries VI: The National Baseball Hall of Fame
Box 10
Folder 6: Tickets , 1988-1994
Folder 7: Program and Newsletters , 1984-1994
Folder 8: Sticker
Series III: Non-Baseball Photographs and Prints
Box 10
Folder 9: Postcards, New York City Buildings and Bridges
Box 11
Folder 10: Oversize Photograph, Brooklyn Bridge
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