The Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the
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 ...
-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...
. The Lancaster Red Roses played at
Stumpf Field in
Manheim Township, Pennsylvania, which is still used today by local baseball and softball leagues.
History
19th century
![1906 lineup of the Lancaster Red Roses baseball team](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/1906_lineup_of_the_Lancaster_Red_Roses_baseball_team.jpg)
Organized
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 ...
first came to
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...
in 1884 when Lancaster had two teams for a brief period of time. The Lancaster Red Stockings played 19 games as a member of the short-lived Keystone Association before the league broke up in June 1884. The Lancaster Ironsides played in the
Eastern League beginning in 1884. The team remained in Lancaster for the 1885 season under a new name, the Lancaster Lancasters. Baseball returned for Lancaster in the 1894 season when the Pennsylvania State League
Altoona, Pennsylvania
Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 Census, making it the eighteenth most populous city in Pennsylvania. ...
franchise moved to Lancaster for most of the 1894 season and the 1895 season.
In 1896, the
Atlantic League Lancaster Maroons began play when the
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
team moved to Lancaster. The Maroons became very popular and became one of the powerhouse teams in the Atlantic League. On field successes didn't save the franchise, due to player salaries being higher than the team income. The team folded at the end of the 1899 season.
20th century
![Lancaster Red Roses baseball team (team photo, 1909)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Lancaster_Red_Roses_baseball_team_%28team_photo%2C_1909%29.jpg)
In 1904, a local businessman built a new ballpark and began an independent team to test the local demand for baseball. After a success with local fans and businesses the team joined the
Tri-State League The Tri-State League was the name of six different circuits in American minor league baseball.
History
The first league of that name played for four years (1887–1890) and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia.
The second leagu ...
for the 1905 season as the Lancaster Maroons. The franchise became the Red Roses in 1906.
In 1906, the Lancaster Red Roses changed their name from the Maroons, and its new name was unveiled to the public a few days before the season and drew heavy criticism from the rival
York White Roses
The York White Roses was the name of a minor league baseball team in the city of York, Pennsylvania, US, that existed from 1894–1969.
History
Early years
The York White Roses began as members of the short-lived Keystone Association in 1884. ...
from nearby
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
. The White Roses manager predicted, in spite, that the Red Roses would be at the bottom of the standings column. The Red Roses went on to win the first game, 9-4, and an even heavier rivalry began. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named for the opposing factions in England's historic
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...
.
In 1909, the team secured its first championship in the
Tri-State League The Tri-State League was the name of six different circuits in American minor league baseball.
History
The first league of that name played for four years (1887–1890) and consisted of teams in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia.
The second leagu ...
, under the leadership of ex-outfielder
Marty Hogan
Martin Francis Hogan (October 25, 1869 – August 15, 1923), nicknamed "The Indianapolis Ringer", was an English born right fielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds (1894) and St. Louis Browns (1894–1895). A ...
.
[''Spalding's Official Athletic Library Baseball Guide'' (New York: American Sports Publishing Co., 1910), p. 181.] That same year, the Red Roses signed on future
Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
pitcher
Stan Coveleski
Stanley Anthony Coveleski (born Stanislaus Kowalewski, July 13, 1889 – March 20, 1984) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for four American League (AL) teams between and , primarily the Cleveland Indians. ...
.
[
]
In 1932, a new team by the name of the Lancaster Red Sox, an affiliate of the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...
, played in the city but the economic problems related to the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
lead to the team folding on June 17, 1932 after only 23 games in the 1932 season. The league disbanded a few days later on the 20th. The league returned in 1939 with only 4 teams and the Lancaster Red Roses followed in 1940 entering the league with four other teams doubling the league. The team returned to its original name of Red Roses in 1940. The Lancaster Red Roses played in the
Interstate League
The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952.
Early leagues
Earlier versions of the Interstate League, with years active:
*1896–1901: an unclassified ...
from 1940 to 1952, and were affiliated with the
Philadelphia Athletics
The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...
from 1944 to 1947 and the
Brooklyn Dodgers
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...
from 1948 to 1952.
The Red Roses joined the
Piedmont League
The Piedmont League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1920 through 1955. The league operated principally in the Piedmont plateau region in the eastern United States.
Teams
The following teams were members of the Piedmon ...
in 1954, and were affiliated with the
Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics from 1954–1955 season. They became members of the
Eastern League in 1958, and were affiliated with the
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...
for the 1958–1959 season, the
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...
from 1959 to 1961, and spent their last season ever in 1961 as an affiliate of the
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...
.
Uniforms
The Lancaster Maroons unveiled new uniforms with new colors, this was soon followed by a name change to the Lancaster Red Roses original Uniforms included white shirt and pants, dark blue stockings, and dark blue cap with a white "L" embroidered across the front.
1932 - 1961: The Red Roses and the Nation
/ref>
Year-by-year record
Tri-State League (1906–1912, 1914) records
Interstate League (1940–1952)
Piedmont League (1954–1955)
Eastern League (1958–1961)
Notable Red Roses
*Stan Coveleski
Stanley Anthony Coveleski (born Stanislaus Kowalewski, July 13, 1889 – March 20, 1984) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for four American League (AL) teams between and , primarily the Cleveland Indians. ...
, Baseball Hall of Famer
*Nellie Fox
Jacob Nelson “Nellie” Fox (December 25, 1927 – December 1, 1975) was an American professional baseball player. Fox was one of the best second basemen of all time, and the third-most difficult hitter to strike out in Major League Baseball (M ...
, Baseball Hall of Famer
*George Kell
George Clyde Kell (August 23, 1922 – March 24, 2009) was an American Major League Baseball third baseman who played 15 seasons for the Philadelphia Athletics (1943–1946), Detroit Tigers (1947–1952), Boston Red Sox (1952–1954), Chicago W ...
, Baseball Hall of Fame
See also
* Lancaster Barnstormers
The Lancaster Barnstormers (colloquially known as the Stormers) are an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They are a member of the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league ...
References
{{Defunct Pennsylvania sports teams
1884 establishments in Pennsylvania
1961 disestablishments in Pennsylvania
Baseball teams established in 1884
Boston Red Sox minor league affiliates
Brooklyn Dodgers minor league affiliates
Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates
Defunct baseball teams in Pennsylvania
Defunct Eastern League (1938–present) teams
Defunct Interstate League teams
Defunct minor league baseball teams
Defunct Tri-State League teams
Detroit Tigers minor league affiliates
Kansas City Athletics minor league affiliates
Philadelphia Athletics minor league affiliates
Piedmont League teams
Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1961
Sports in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliates