The Diamond State Base Ball Club is a baseball team that played in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

in the mid-1860s through the early 1870s. The ball club was revived as a

vintage base ball Vintage base ball is baseball presented as if being played by rules and customs from an earlier period in the sport's history. Games are typically played using rules and uniforms from the 19th century. Vintage base ball is not only a competiti ...

team in 2008 in

Delaware City, Delaware Delaware City is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 1,695 at the 2010 census. It is a small port town on the eastern terminus of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and is the location of the Forts Ferry Cross ...

History

At the conclusion of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, the sport of

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

(or base ball, as it was spelled at the time) experienced a tremendous explosion in interest. New ball clubs began to form in every city and town in the country almost as soon at the war was settled. Interest in base ball certainly was no different in the burgeoning industrial city of

. On October 2, 1865, a group of Wilmington's leading businessmen and attorneys met to discuss the formation of a new amateur club to represent its city. Founders of the club, called the Diamond State Base Ball Club, included attorneys Levi C. Bird, Anthony Higgins, Benjamin Nields and several others. The ball club rented a home ball field for its practice and games, which was located at Delaware Avenue and Adams Street, adjacent to the Wilmington & Brandywine Cemetery, at what was then the edge of the Wilmington's city limits. Diamond State Base Ball Club hastily arranged its first ever match, which was played at its home field on October 7, 1865 against a student team from nearby St. Mary's College. Rival base ball clubs soon formed all around the city and state, though none would prove to be as well-organized or competitively strong as the Diamond State nine. They went on to dominate play in Delaware throughout the remainder of the 1860s, winning several state championships during that period. Interest in the Diamond State Base Ball Club began to wane by 1870, as other

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

clubs rose to challenge them. The club disbanded in the early years of the decade. A brief attempt was made to revive the club in the mid-1870s to little avail.

Famous alumni

The most accomplished Diamond State ball player was

Fergy Malone Fergus G. Malone (August, 1844 – January 1, 1905) was a professional baseball player in the 1860s and 1870s. He was the catcher for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1871, champion of the first professional league season. Born 1842 in Northern Ir ...

, who led the club to the Delaware state championship during the 1866 seasons. Malone is widely recognized as a baseball pioneer and one of the finest catchers of the 19th century. A fine player for Diamond State in his own right, Anthony Higgins found greater acclaim away from baseball, as a member of the bench and, later, as a

Senator.

Modern club

The Diamond State Base Ball Club was revived and reformed in October 2008 as a

club. The modern day ball club bases its uniform colors and design on the uniforms worn by its 1860s predecessor. Also in keeping with the tradition of the original Diamond State club, the modern team plays all of its games according to baseball rules of the mid-1860s to early 1870s. The Diamond State Base Ball Club conducted its first practice on October 18, 2008 at

Rockford Park Rockford Park is a historic public park located in a residential area of Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. It is characterized by a large, grassy meadow which slopes gently upward to a large knoll overlooking the Brandywine River. It was ...

. In April 2009, the reformed club began playing matches at its regular home field at

Fort DuPont State Park Fort DuPont State Park is a Delaware state park located in Delaware City, Delaware. Fort DuPont itself, named after Rear Admiral Samuel Francis duPont, was used as a military base from the Civil War through World War II, and was part of a three ...

. Diamond State also has played home matches elsewhere around

and the region, including at

Fort Delaware State Park Fort Delaware State Park is a Delaware state park on Pea Patch Island in New Castle County, Delaware. A fortress was built on Pea Patch Island by the United States Army in 1815, near the conclusion of the War of 1812, to protect the harbors o ...

Pea Patch Island Pea Patch Island is a small island, approximately 1 mi (1.6 km) long, in the U.S. state of Delaware, located in the mid channel of the Delaware River near its entrance into Delaware Bay. It is a low, marshy island, located in New Castle C ...

, on the Legislative Green in

Dover, Delaware Dover () is the capital and second-largest city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County and the principal city of the Dover, DE, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County and is part of ...

, on the grounds of Twin Lakes Brewing Company in

Greenville, Delaware Greenville is a bedroom community in New Castle County, Delaware, United States, and a suburb of Wilmington. The population was 2,326 at the 2010 census. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Greenville as a census ...

Hagley Museum The Hagley Museum and Library is a nonprofit educational institution in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, near Wilmington. Covering more than along the banks of the Brandywine Creek, the museum and grounds include the first du Pont ...

, the Governor William H.H. Ross Mansion in

Seaford, Delaware Seaford is a city located along the Nanticoke River in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census Bureau figures, the population of the city is 6,928, an increase of 3.4% from the 2000 census. It is part of the Salisb ...

, the Port Penn Area Historical Society in

Port Penn, Delaware Port Penn is a census-designated place located in St. Georges Hundred, southern New Castle County, Delaware, United States, below the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on the west bank of the Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river ...

, and in Riverview Beach Park in

Pennsville, New Jersey Pennsville Township is a township in Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 13,409, reflecting an increase of 215 (+1.6%) from the 13,194 counted in the 2000 census. The townshi ...

. Diamond State Base Ball Club is a founding member of the Mid Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League. The Diamond States won just 1 game against 15 losses in their 2009 season, then improved to 12 wins against 18 losses in their 2010 season. Improvement continued in 2011, when they recorded 19 wins against 12 losses, and in 2012, notching 24 wins against just 8 losses, including a 16-game winning streak at one point. In 2013, the Diamond State Base Ball Club added a second nine, going by the Atlas of Delaware City. The purpose of the Atlas nine is to get more playing time for members of the Diamond State Club that typically do not play in games involving the first nine. The Atlas nine is a less competitive and more recreational match than the first nine of the Diamond State Club. In the inaugural season of the Atlas nine, 2013, the Diamond State Base Ball Club's first nine recorded 18 wins against 10 losses, including key wins in the Mid-Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League's post-season championship tournament (see below). The Atlas Nine played just four contests in their first season, winning once and losing three. In 2014, the Diamond State first nine recorded 23 wins against 12 losses, and the Atlas Nine recorded 1 win against 4 losses.

Appearances in postseason events

In 2011, the Diamond State Base Ball Club hosted the Championship Tournament of the Mid-Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League on the Parade Grounds at

. The Diamond States defeated the Cecil Base Ball Club of

Chesapeake City, Maryland Chesapeake City is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 736 at the 2020 census. The town was originally named by Bohemian colonist Augustine Herman the Village of Bohemia — or Bohemia Manor — but the name was ...

by a score of 10-4, advancing to the semi-finals, where they were defeated by a score of 6-5 in 11 innings by the

Brooklyn Atlantics The Atlantic Base Ball Club of Brooklyn ("Atlantic" or the "Brooklyn Atlantics") was baseball's first champion and its first dynasty. The team was also the first baseball club to visit the White House in 1865 at the invitation of President And ...

. The team then lost the consolation game to the Fair Play Base Ball Club of

Talbot County, Maryland Talbot County is located in the heart of the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 37,526. Its county seat is Easton, Maryland, Easton. The county was named ...

by a score of 14-7. In 2013, the Diamond State Base Ball Club traveled to

Harrington, Delaware Harrington is a city in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. Harrington hosts the annual Delaware State Fair each July. The population was 3,562 at the 2010 census. History Har ...

to participate again in the Championship Tournament of the Mid-Atlantic Vintage Base Ball League. They began by defeating the Eclipse Base Ball Club of

Elkton, Maryland Elkton is a town in and the county seat of Cecil County, Maryland, Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,443 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It was formerly called Head of Elk because it sits at the head of na ...

by a score of 9-3. They again met the

in the semi-final round, this time defeating the Atlantics, 13-3. In the championship game, the Excelsior Base Ball Club of

Milford, Delaware Milford is a city in Kent and Sussex counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. According to the 2020 census, the population of the city is 11,190 people and 4,356 households in the city. The Kent County portion of Milford is part of the Dover, DE ...

defeated the Diamond States by a score of 4-3.

Mission statement

The Diamond State Base Ball Club is a non-profit amateur organization created for the purposes of providing physical fitness to its members, educating the public on the history of baseball and local history, and serving as a point of public pride.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.diamondstatebaseball.com Sports in Wilmington, Delaware Defunct baseball teams in Delaware 1865 establishments in Delaware Baseball teams established in 1865 Baseball teams disestablished in 1872