The Gettysburg Ponies were a minor league baseball team based in

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; non-locally ) is a borough and the county seat of Adams County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are named for this town. Gettysburg is home to th ...

. From 1915 to 1917, Gettysburg teams played exclusively as members of the Class D level Blue Ridge League, beginning play in 1915 as the Gettysburg "Patriots." Gettysburg hosted minor league home games at Nixon Field

History

In 1915, minor league baseball play in Gettysburg began, as the Gettysburg Patriots became charter members of the six-team, Class D level Blue Ridge League. The

Chambersburg Maroons The Chambersburg Maroons were a baseball team located in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. They called historic Henninger Field their home, and had done so since the club's creation in 1895. They played their last season in 2010, ending 116 years of ex ...

Frederick Hustlers Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

, Hagerstown Blues, Hanover Hornets and

Martinsburg Champs Martinsburg may refer to: Places In the United States: *Martinsburg, Indiana *Martinsburg, Iowa *Sandy Hook, Kentucky, originally incorporated as Martinsburg *Martinsburg, Missouri *Martinsburg, Ripley County, Missouri *Martinsburg, Nebraska *Mart ...

joined Gettysburg in beginning league play on May 27, 1915. In their first game, the opening game to begin the 1915 season, Gettysburg defeated the Hanover Hornets 5–0 at Hanover. On June 8, 1915, Gettysburg was defeated by the Martinsburg Champions 9–8 in a game at Willow Lane Park in

Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States and the county seat of Washington County. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2020 census was 43,527, and the population of the Hagerstown metropolitan area (exten ...

. The 1915 Gettysburg Patriots ended their first Blue Ridge League season in fifth place. The Patriots ended the season with a record of 28–48, playing the season under manager Ira Plane. Gettysburg finished 25.0 games behind the first place

in the final standings, as the league held no playoffs. Hosting home games at Nixon Field on the campus of Gettysburg College had some negative ramifications. Because of the location of the ballpark, fans could easily watch the game from nearby streets, avoiding having to pay admission. Also, automobiles that parked alongside the ballpark, which had no outfield fence, were a hazard to players chasing down fly balls. Baseballs in play also rolled underneath vehicles parked at the corners of the outfield. Before the 1916 season began, the club needed to resolve the fact that the team was known by two names. Their official Blue Ridge League name was the Gettysburg Patriots, but local newspapers called them the "Braves." Before the 1916 season began, a meeting was held where stockholders of the Patriots elected new directors and announced that 55 shares of stock in the team had sold at $20 per share to provide revenue for the team. A new nickname was given to the 1916 team, as reported in the Frederick Post: "In order to do away with the confusion caused by giving the two different names, the Patriots and the Braves, a compromise has been reached and the Gettysburg team will be known in the future as Plank's Ponies." Plank referred to manager Ira Plank, who was the brother of

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member

Eddie Plank Edward Stewart Plank (August 31, 1875 – February 24, 1926), nicknamed "Gettysburg Eddie", was an American professional baseball player. A pitcher, Plank played in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901 through 1914, th ...

. Continuing play in the 1916 Blue Ridge League, the Gettysburg "Ponies", finished last in the standings. The Ponies ended the Blue Ridge League season in sixth place. Gettysburg ended the 1916 season with a record of 35–56, playing under returning manager Ira Plank and finished 17.0 games behind the first place

. Due to financial and salary concerns, some Ponies players were creative in trying to earn extra money.

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reported later that some of the players on the Gettysburg team traveled to some of the other league clubs to try and play under an alias to earn additional some money. Their efforts failed when they were recognized by one of the opposing managers. This issued was called to the attention of league president J. Vincent Jamison in late July, 1916. Jamison took the franchise away from Gettysburg and began talking with

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and

York, Pennsylvania York ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populati ...

, representatives about taking the team. Local Gettysburg business leaders organized and collected the minimum funds to keep the club running for the remainder of the season. After a guarantee to the league that the funds were available, Jamison agreed to return the club back to Gettysburg a week later. In their final season of play, the 1917 Gettysburg Ponies placed third in the Blue Ridge League final standings. Gettysburg ended the season with a record of 48–46, playing under managers Joe Ward and John Mumford. The Ponies finished 11.5 games behind the first place Hagerstown Terriers in the final standings. The Gettysburg and Hanover teams did not return to the 1918 Blue Ridge League, as the league reduced from six teams to four teams while continuing play during

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and facing challenges due to the

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. The league folded during the 1918 season. Gettysburg has not hosted another minor league team. GoPro campus Gettysburg

The ballpark

From 1915 to 1917 the Gettysburg minor league teams played home games at Nixon Field. The ballpark had no outfield fences and was plagued by automobiles parked near the dianond interfering with live baseballs and providing seating for fans wishing to avoid paying admission. Nixon Field was located at North Washington Street & East Stevens Street on the campus of Gettysburg College.

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

Ivan Bigler Ivan Edward "Pete" Bigler (December 13, 1892 – April 1, 1975) was an American Major League Baseball player. Bigler appeared for the St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wis ...

(1915–1916) * Bill Clay (1915) *

Snake Deal John Wesley "Snake" Deal (January 21, 1879 – May 9, 1944) was a Major League Baseball first baseman. He played half of one season for the Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. T ...

(1915) *

(1917) 2xMLB All-Star *

Walt Herrell Walter "Walt" "Reds" William Herrell (February 19, 1889 – January 29, 1949) was an American professional baseball player who played in one game for the Washington Senators during the season. Herrell began his career with the Johnson City Sol ...

(1915) * Arthur S. Herman (1916) *

Earl Howard Earl Howard (born 1951) is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, saxophonist, synthesizer player and multi-instrumentalist. Howard is one of the pioneers of what is called “new” music. He has been in the industry for over thirty y ...

(1915) * Bill Steele (1916) *

Elmer Steele Elmer Rae Steele (May 17, 1886 in Poughkeepsie, New York – March 9, 1966 in Rhinebeck, New York) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He pitched in the major leagues from 1907 to 1911. He also played for several years in the minor leagues. ...

(1916) * Ross Swartz (1915) * Joe Ward (1917, MGR) * John W. Weimer (1915)

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Gettysburg - Baseball Reference
Defunct baseball teams in Pennsylvania Blue Ridge League teams Baseball teams established in 1916 Baseball teams disestablished in 1917 Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 1916 establishments in Pennsylvania 1917 disestablishments in Pennsylvania