The Abalone League was an amateur baseball and softball club based in

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its natural scenery and ric ...

from 1921 through 1938. It was the first softball league in the

Western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

. The League was incorporated on September 8, 1927. The League was a Carmel focal point for many years. Early players included writers Jimmy Hopper and

Harry Leon Wilson Harry Leon Wilson (May 1, 1867 – June 28, 1939) was an American novelist and dramatist best known for his novels ''Ruggles of Red Gap'' and '' Merton of the Movies''. Another of his works, ''Bunker Bean'', helped popularize the term "flapper". ...

, actor Frank Sheridan, developer of

Pebble Beach Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California. The small coastal residential community of mostly single-family homes is also notable as a resort destination, and the home of the golf course ...

S. F. B. Morse, Philip Wilson, Sr., of the Philip Wilson Building, and Fred and Harrison Godwin of the La Playa Hotel.

History

Abalone League with aviator Virginia Stanton and Wilma Hervey

The Abalone League had its beginning on

Carmel Point Carmel Point also known as the Point, is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States. It is a cape located at the southern city limits of Carmel-by-the-Sea and offers views of Carmel Bay, the mouth of Carmel River, ...

adjacent to

, after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in 1921. Games were held in a rough diamond field next to the

Charles King Van Riper Charles King Van Riper (September 8, 1891 – April 16, 1964) was an American newspaperman, writer, and playwright, best known for writing short stories for nationally circulated magazines, and as the founder of the Abalone League, the first org ...

house among the pine trees overlooking the sea. Charles and Helen van Riper and his friends, aviator Thorne Taylor and writer Talbert Josselyn (brother of photographer Lewis Josselyn) founded the first softball league in the

, dubbed the Abalone League. The league got its name from the Abalone Cove, which was adjacent to the playing field. They played every evening in the summer months and on Sundays all year round. Six teams made up the league. Josselyn, Lee Gottfried, and Thorn Taylor were some of the first players. Charles Van Riper was the first "commissioner" and was responsible to begin each season. Journalist Robert Welles Ritchie served as the league's first umpire. They played two games on Sunday and had three playing fields, at Carmel Point,

Carmel Woods Carmel Woods is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States. It is located adjoining the northern city limits of Carmel-by-the-Sea and adjacent to Pebble Beach.Carmel Woodsat Geonames.org (cc-by)post updated 2006-0 ...

, and the

Hatton Fields Hatton Fields is an unincorporated community southeast of downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea in Monterey County, California, United States. Homes have views of Carmel Valley, Point Lobos, and Carmel Bay. The residential neighborhood is bordered by Rio Ro ...

The “Abalone Song,” was penned in Carmel around 1907 by writer

George Sterling George Sterling (December 1, 1869 – November 17, 1926) was an American writer based in the San Francisco, California Bay Area and Carmel-by-the-Sea. He was considered a prominent poet and playwright and proponent of Bohemianism during the f ...

, and his friends,

Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...

, and

Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American writer and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States (and the first from the Americas) to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was ...

. They sang the song while pounding Monterey Bay abalone at gala Carmel beach parties. Writer and journalist Frederick R. Bechdolt was an early member of the Abalone League, along Edward Kuster, Charley Van Riper, James Hopper, John Hillaiard, Ernest Schweninger, Talbert Josselyn, R. C. Smith, and Winsor Josselyn. Talbert Josselyn was known as the " Judge Landis" of the Abalone League. Winsor Josselyn, brother of Lewis and Talbert Josselyn, worte about the league's opening in the January 16, 1931, edition of the '' Carmel Pine Cone.'' Winsor said: "The four captains are in daily conference with their teams. The Pine Cone is preparing special sports extras to satisfy the game-mad fans. A poet is inditing an heroic verse, a composer is pounding out an anthem, and artist is creating a master banner to float above the park." The four teams in the League at the time were the Shamrocks, the Tigers, the Giants, and the Rangers. Carmel Mayor Herbert Heron pitched the first ball that ushered in the 1931 Series of twelve games. In 1925, the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' ran an essay entitled "Carmel Sports." The pictures showed members of the league. One picture showed artist

Jo Mora Joseph Jacinto Mora (October 22, 1876 – October 10, 1947) was a Uruguayan-born American cowboy, photographer, artist, cartoonist, illustrator, painter, muralist, sculptor, and historian who lived with the Hopi and wrote about his experiences in ...

at bat. Two Abalone Cup trophies were awarded at the end of each season with the losing team giving a gala banquet at the La Playa Hotel. One trophy was silver called the Hooper Cup, the other was an ornate stove top from the ''Monterey Herald'' stove, called the Herald trophy. Each year the winning team player's names were itched on each trophy and they were kept by the team until the next season. Each team had ten players, two women, and the rest men. Ages were between ten and fifteen on the same team as with forty and fifty-year-olds. The teams were made up of writers, artist, musicians, stars of the stage, and a grocery truck driver. Team names were Shamrocks, Sardines, Whales, Seals, Sanddabs, Goldfish, and the Sharks. Later the teams were uniforms. Abalone League Certificate

On September 8, 1927, the Abalone League became a corporation and was chartered under the laws of the State of California. The founders of the league and first board of directors were aviator and developer

Byington Ford Lewis Byington Ford (November 1, 1890 – January 19, 1985) was a Monterey Peninsula real estate developer. He was a major force in developing Pebble Beach and Carmel Woods. Ford established the Carmel Valley Airport, the first airpark of its kin ...

, businessman

James Cooper Doud James Cooper Doud (May 17, 1902 – August 30, 1984) was an American businessman and real estate developer in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He established the Doud Building in 1932, built by master builder Michael J. Murphy. He also owned The ...

, Talbert Josselyn, director Frank Sheridan, and businessman

Ernest Schweninger Ernest Seraphin Schweninger (September 9, 1892 – November 11, 1957) was an American actor and grocer in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. His parents built the Schweninger Building in 1906, known today as the Carmel Bakery. Schweninger was foun ...

. The articles of incorporation stated that the "Abalone League is a cooperative association organized for the purpose of fostering athletics, particularly baseball, and to provide for the physical benefit of Carmel's citizenry." As a corporation, the league was able to sell certificates of membership to help fund the league's events. The Abalone League disbanded in 1938 just before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1940, Winsor Josselyn was interviewed by the ''Carmel Pine Cone'' and talked about how the Abalone League was a Carmel focal point for many years. Early group players included writers Jimmy Hopper Bob Pinkerton, and

, actor Frank Sheridan, developer of

S. F. B. Morse, Kit Cooke, Helen Wilson, Elliot and Marion Boke, Philip Wilson, Sr., (of the Philip Wilson Building), Col. Fletcher Dutton, Fred and Harrison Godwin (of the La Playa Hotel), and Don Hale. Carmel builder A. Carlyle Stoney built his home on Carmel Point, on the third base line of the Abalone League baseball field. He sponsored a team with three of his brothers that played in the league.

Carmel Arts and Crafts Club

In April 1927, the Abalone League bought the deed to the

Carmel Arts and Crafts Club The Carmel Arts and Crafts Club was an art gallery, clubhouse founded in 1905, by Elsie Allen, a former art instructor for Wellesley College. The club was located at Monte Verde Street in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, where the Golden Bough P ...

and theater on Monte Verde Street and the proceeds were used to pay off the

Forest Theater The Forest Theater is an historic amphitheater in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Founded in 1910, it is one of the oldest outdoor theaters west of the Rockies. Actor/director Herbert Heron is generally cited as the founder and driving force, an ...

debts. At one point, the Abalone League renamed it the ''Abalone Theatre,'' and staged its own plays at the Arts and Crafts Theater, where the

Golden Bough Playhouse The Golden Bough Playhouse is a historic two-story theatre in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California on Monte Verde St., between 8th and 9th Avenues. The playhouse occupies the site of the former Carmel Arts and Crafts Club, Carmel's first cultural center a ...

now stands, to make money for the league. Byington Ford and his wife Ruth, were active in the Abalone League productions at the Arts and Crafts Theater. Original dramas by local playwrights as

Martin Flavin Martin Archer Flavin (November 2, 1883 – December 27, 1967) was an American playwright and novelist. Biography Flavin was born on November 2, 1883, in San Francisco, California. He was a Sigma Chi at the University of Chicago, which he atte ...

Perry Newberry Perry Harmon Newberry (October 16, 1870 – December 6, 1938) was an American writer, actor, and director. He was a past editor and publisher of the ''Carmel Pine Cone'' and the fifth mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Newberry is best known ...

, and

Ira Remsen Ira Remsen (February 10, 1846 – March 4, 1927) was an American chemist who discovered the artificial sweetener saccharin along with Constantin Fahlberg. He was the second president of Johns Hopkins University. Early life Ira Remsen was bor ...

were produced in the Arts and Crafts Theater at that time. The play ''The Bad Man,'' a three-act comedy by American playwright Porter Emerson Browne, was put on by the Arts and Crafts Theater on January 15, 1926. Artist

, Byington Ford, and other Abalone Players were among the actors in the play. In 1929, the Abalone theater lost money and was sold it to Edward Kuster. Kuster remodeled the facility and renamed it the Studio Theatre of the Golden Bough. He moved all of his activities, plays concerts, traveling theatre groups, lectures, to the theatre on Monte Verde Street. In 1940, Kuster renamed the theater to the

and again put on plays, foreign films, and movies.

Legacy

At the Van-Riper House in Carmel-by-the-Sea, there is a historic plaque about the Abalone League. The text of the plaque provides a history of the league. It says:

Notable alumni

* S. F. B. Morse * Herbert Heron * Jimmy Hopper *

* Frank Sheridan

References

External links