$85.00 CAD
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Large photo of the Etna PA amateur men’s baseball team posing. They were the 1920 champions of the Pittsburgh division.
Labeled lower part of photo ‘AMATEUR CHAMPIONS‘ ‘PITTSBURGH DISTRICT 1920’
LR photo taken by ‘1522 Trinity Court Studio RW Johnston’. Some of his photos are in the Carnegie Museum.
Paper chips missing, not affecting image
11 x 13 ⅞”
...By 1900, every county in western Pennsylvania was flush with organized baseball leagues. Each town in Beaver County had teams representing their major employers, such as the powerful squad fielded by the Freedom Casket Co. in 1902. That team played against rivals from Pittsburgh, Glenshaw, Etna and West Liberty, in addition to its schedule of local teams. The Casket Co. team went 19-0 that summer, with a dominant starting pitcher named Klein leading the way.
Also in 1900, a major change within the Pittsburgh baseball scene began drawing increased interest in the new national pastime. Barney Dreyfuss, owner of the Louisville Colonials, purchased half ownership in the Pirates. Louisville was cut from the league the next year, allowing Dreyfuss to take 11 of his top players to the Steel City. Among them were three future Hall of Famers, including 26-year-old Johannes Peter Wagner, better known in Pittsburgh as the legendary Honus Wagner. The Pittsburgh team, long a doormat, suddenly became a powerhouse.
With the Flying Dutchman leading the Pirates, newspapers began taking an interest in publishing daily box scores. Now, fans from all over the region could follow their favorite teams progress. Soon, the papers began printing box scores from the local industrial and recreational leagues as well. Baseball had become the undisputed favorite sport in America, and it seemed as if everyone was playing it.
https://www.timesonline.com/story/lifestyle/columns/2019/03/12/diamond-days-baseball/5734524007/
