Baltimore’s Brewers and Their Early Ties to Baseball By David Hagberg two-dozen breweries at the time, Eagle was one he City of Baltimore has almost always been T of the largest. tied to baseball. Baseball was thriving in Baltimore by 1855, just 10 years after the first That first season was played with a team stocked organized game was played at Elysian Fields in in haste from Philadelphia, young players with Hoboken, New Jersey. By 1867 more than 20 no major league past or future. The early years amateur clubs were playing in Baltimore. The were not winning ones for the team; in six of the National Association of Base Ball Players, which first ten years the team finished below .500, and represented 237 amateur teams from coast to four years they finished in last place. The teams coast, elected a Baltimorean, Arthur Gorman, as of the American Association played the teams of its president. That group was superseded by the the recently formed National League. Of course, National Association of Professional Baseball being a brewer, Mr. Von Der Horst took the Players, and in 1872 Baltimore entered the opportunity to sell plenty of his beer at the association with ballgames. its first The ball club professional went in for team, the Lord marketing, as Baltimores. on holidays The Lords “Von der finished third Horst would their first present each season, but that fan with a was their best picnic lunch, a season. schooner of Fistfights often his Eagle beer, interrupted and an games, and invitation to gambling linger after the among players game and was rampant. The team wound up in last place dance under the stars on a platform set up in in 1874, and team officials, disgusted by the Oriole Park”. squad’s behavior and record, folded the team. Disgusted with the teams performance in its first By 1882, a formal challenge to the NL (which season, Harry Von der Horst arranged for not was formed a few years prior) was under way, only a whole new team, but a new ballpark as and the American Association was formed. A well. Von Der Horst built Union Park, and soon sixth and final franchise (in a last-minute renamed it Oriole Park; it was a wooden, six substitution for Brooklyn) was issued to thousand seat ballpark, at Fifth Street (later Baltimore for $50.00. Baltimore was eager for Huntingdon Avenue, and still later 25th Street) pro baseball, and that summer the search for a and York Road (later renamed Greenmount local owner led successfully to Harry (Henry R.) Avenue), just off the well-traveled horse car line. Von Der Horst, was a prosperous brewer, who This was due north of downtown. Union Park sponsored the team in the new American had a big picnic area, beer stands stocked with Association. He named the team the Orioles, kegs of Von Der Horst’s brew, and a large, after the pretty bird that inhabits the Chesapeake clean restaurant that was packed before and after Bay region. His father, John H., of Swedish- games. Von Der Horst and his general manager, German descent, was the builder and owner of the feisty Billy Barnie, became the toast of Eagle Brewery and Malt Works on Belair Road Baltimore. just above North Avenue. Among Baltimore’s Even though the Orioles were often in last place place finish in 1893 things started to look up for of the six-team league, they managed to turn a the Orioles. The opening day lineup for 1894 $30,000 a year profit. The Orioles had some fine featured six future Hall-of-Famers (Big Dan players in the 1880’s, including Matt Kilroy, Brouthers, Wee Willie Keeler, who when asked who set the all-time season strikeout record of the secret to his sensational batting average, 505 in 1886 (some records claim he had 513 replied “Hit ‘em where they ain’t”, Wilbert strikeouts that year) and set the record for Robinson, John McGraw—who also gained fame victories by a left-hander with 46 in 1887. The as the manager of the New York Giants, Hughie pitcher’s mound was just fifty feet from home Jennings, and Joe Kelley). The team was an plate at the time, compared with sixty feet six instant success, and went on to mow down the inches today. In 1887, John Smith won 29 rest of the National League and winning their games for the Orioles, and Oyster Burns batted first National League pennant with a record of .341 for the year. In 1889 Tommy Tucker led 89 wins and just 39 losses. the league in batting with a .372 average. As the mid-1890’s came, the Orioles were In 1890, a new league was a powerhouse, winning born; The Players League the Temple Cup, the featured seven of it eight championship trophy of franchises in the same early baseball, in 1894, cities as the National 1895, and 1896. The League. Harry Von der team went 87 and 43 in Horst decided to have the 1895, and in 1896 they Orioles leave major-league posted 90 victories baseball at this time, and against only 39 defeats. filed for membership in a The Temple Cup was a minor-league, the Atlantic three game post-season Association (not to be series between the top confused with the two teams in the league. American Association league they were After the 1896 series, previously a member of). Willie Keeler reported the Orioles discovered that the cup held seven The Orioles returned to the American quarts; to make sure, they repeated the test, in all Association later that year, when the Brooklyn filling it with champagne three times. team folded and Baltimore played out the rest of Advertisers fell in love with the team, and Brooklyn’s schedule. The Von der Horsts were everyone wanted to be associated with the at odds—John H., the father, finding baseball a Orioles. Of course, Von Der Horst advertised poor investment; his son Harry sinking ever his “Purest Extra Pale Standard” beer on the more money into it. Not only did Harry spend game programs. Other business soon jumped on on players from other teams; he sprang for a the advertising bandwagon, including the City new ballpark, supposedly the American Steam Bottling House, who in 1895 proudly Associations largest—and the first in Baltimore announced in the Baltimore Base Ball Club’s to have a double-decked grandstand, on Barclay. Official Score Book that “The Famous Elk It was christened Union Park and the first game Brand Club Ginger Ale in the future would be there was May 11, 1891. This was also the first called Challenge Ginger Ale.” Other businesses stadium in Baltimore with lettered rows and included Pointer Maryland Rye, the George numbered seats, instead of fans just sitting Brehm Brewing Company, and the Baltimore wherever they wished. Branches of both the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company and the Bartholomay Brewing In 1892, Von Der Horst and other owners from Company. By the late 1890’s the Orioles were the American Association teams merged with losing steam. They scraped through the 1898 the National League, creating a twelve-team season, finishing second, and finished third in league. The Orioles finished dead last that first 1899. year, winning just 46 games. After an eighth- As an aside, on July 4, 1894, John H. Von der modern-day Orioles used to be the St. Louis Horst, at age 69, died of cancer at this home on Browns, but not many are aware that the St. 1204 North Caroline Street, leaving two sons, Louis Browns were formed when American Henry R. (Harry) and John H. Jr., and a League President and league founder Ban daughter. His obituary rated page one, this Johnson decided to move a disappointing German-born, well-to-do brewer who had Milwaukee Brewers team, who finished in last undertaken to give place in 1901, Baltimore to St. Louis to membership in the challenge the American National Association. Von League’s der Horst did not Cardinal’s, who live to see and then were a enjoy the finally consistently triumphant weak team. Orioles; rather, in old age he had Emblazoned soured on with photos of baseball; he even players and ads went to court to for beer, seek restraint on scorecards were his son spending as flamboyant money on futile as the team. On pennant chases. this program you can see ads The turn of the for the George century brought Brehm Brewery about even more (whole bottom changes for the row), Pointer Orioles. The last Maryland Rye year of the nineteenth century was the last year (top left), and City Steam Bottling House (top for the Orioles. The Spanish-American War was right). The ad in the middle of the top row is for putting a dent in ticket sales, and determined to Spaulding ‘s Supplies, with the ad mentioning be more profitable, National League owners that they supply the Orioles manager Ned dropped four of the twelve teams, trimming Hanlon with bicycles. The ad also mentions Baltimore, Louisville, Washington D.C., and Baseball, Golf, Hockey, and General Athletic Cleveland. Baltimore fans were stunned: one Supplies. summer day they had one of the greatest teams in the short history of baseball, and just a few years later they had a vacant ballpark. Several owners of the now defunct American Association were trying to regroup and start a Sources: new major league, however, the Western * The Baltimore Orioles: Memories and Association, a minor league, began taking over Memorabilia of the Lords of Baltimore, by teams to go into major-league ball with what Bruce Chadwick and David M.