The Southern League was a Class B and Class C minor league baseball league which operated intermittently in the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocea ...

from 1885 to 1899. Financial problems plagued the league and its member teams throughout their existence. It was not unusual for teams to depart the league during the season or for the league to cease operations without completing the season. It was this lack of financial support which ultimately caused the league to permanently disband in 1889. In 1901, a new league, called the

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), ...

, was created from its remnants.

History

The original Southern League was formed on February 11, 1885, in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

. It was the first professional league to operate in the South.

Henry W. Grady Henry Woodfin Grady (May 24, 1850 – December 23, 1889) was an American journalist and orator who helped reintegrate the states of the Confederacy into the Union after the American Civil War. Grady encouraged the industrialization of the Sou ...

, managing editor of ''

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'', was selected as the league's first president. The eight-team circuit included the Atlanta Atlantas, Augusta Browns,

Chattanooga Lookouts The Chattanooga Lookouts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. They are located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and are named for nearby Lookout Mountain. The team plays its home ...

, Columbus Stars, Memphis Reds,

Nashville Americans The Nashville Americans were a minor league baseball team that played in the Class B Southern League from 1885 to 1886. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Sulphur Spring Park, later known as Sulphur Dell. ...

, and unnamed teams from

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, and

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of ...

. Each team was scheduled to play 100 games during the season, but few would reach that mark as the Birmingham, Chattanooga, and Columbus clubs quit the league in the final two weeks of the season. Atlanta captured the Southern League's first pennant with their 66–32 (.673) season record. Nashville's Len Sowders was the league's first batting champion with a .309 batting average. Financial insolvency, a perpetual problem in the league, forced the teams from Augusta and Chattanooga to drop out of the league in July 1886. Atlanta repeated their previous winning season by capturing the 1886 league pennant with a 64–28 (.696) record. Lefty Marr, mirroring Nashville teammate Len Sowders' feat from the previous season, was the league's batting champion with a .327 batting average. Charleston Seagulls pitcher Gus Wehling had the lowest

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(0.78) for the season. A new entrant to the league, the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

, won the 1887 league pennant with a 74–40 (.649) record. Of the seven teams fielded during the 1887 season, only three (Charleston, Memphis, and New Orleans) made it to the end of the season on October 11; financial problems forced the others to drop out of the league. Wally Andrews of Memphis was the league's batting champion (.413). Only four teams were able to compete during the 1888 season. The season opened on April 7, was halted by early July. The league champion Birmingham Maroons compiled a 32–19 .(627) season. Memphis' John Sneed led the league with his .354 batting average. The league played again in 1889 but only fielded four teams, which was partially to blame for the failure of the 1888 season. After the first week or two of play, the Southern League reorganized by adding three other teams. The league collapsed again that season after only three teams remained active by the middle of the season. New Orleans (46–9, .836) was in first place at the time the league dissolved. The circuit was non-operational from 1890 to 1891. The Southern League started up again in 1892, and the Birmingham Grays (73–50, .593) won the league pennant. The 1893 Southern League featured the largest circuit in the league's history. The 12-team league was hampered by a poorly-designed schedule and insufficient financing which forced the owners of the Birmingham club, Charleston Seagulls, and

Nashville Tigers The Nashville Tigers were a minor league baseball team that played in the Class B (baseball), Class B Southern League (1885–1899), Southern League from 1893 to 1894. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Athle ...

to turn control of their teams over to the league, which continued to operate the clubs. A meeting was held on July 1, at which the league's president, Hart, resigned despite those in attendance asking him to reconsider. J.B. Nicklin of Chattanooga was elected as the new league president six days later. Between mid July and early August, The Birmingham team transferred to

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

, but soon found themselves quarantined from the rest of the league due to an outbreak of

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

. This development, in addition to ongoing financial debacles, caused the league to end the season on August 12. The Augusta Electricians were awarded the pennant for the first part of the season, and the Macon Central City/Hornets were awarded the pennant for the second half. Charlie Frank of Memphis won the league batting title with a .390 average. In 1894, some teams were forced to sell their players to other clubs in order to stay financially solvent, while others refused to continue play in the second half. Only Nashville, Mobile, New Orleans, and Memphis competed after the season's midpoint. This prompted the Southern League to call the rest of the season off nine games into the second half on July 7, 1894, as the result of league-wide financial instability brought on by the expense of travel and poor attendance. Memphis was awarded the pennant for having the best overall record. In the ensuing months, baseball leaders across the South considered which cities to include in the next iteration of the league. Representatives met at The Read House Hotel in Chattanooga on January 14 to reorganize for the 1895 season. Membership was granted to clubs in Atlanta, Chattanooga, Evansville, Little Rock, Memphis, Montgomery, Nashville, and New Orleans, thus lessening the expense of travel incurred in the past with the inclusion of cities such as Charleston and Savannah. Each of the eight teams paid a US$1,000 deposit to guarantee they would play the entire season. They also pledged to pay dues of $100 per month plus 3% of total gate receipts for a

sinking fund A sinking fund is a fund established by an economic entity by setting aside revenue over a period of time to fund a future capital expense, or repayment of a long-term debt. In North America and elsewhere where it is common for public and privat ...

. Player salaries were capped at $1,000 per team. 1895NashvilleSeraphs

The 1895 season saw the Chattanooga franchise being transferred to Mobile on June 19, Memphis disbanding on July 23, and Little Rock dropping out on July 27. Though the

Atlanta Crackers The Atlanta Crackers were Minor League Baseball teams based in Atlanta, Georgia, between 1901 and 1965. The Crackers were Atlanta's home team until the Atlanta Braves moved from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1966. History Atlanta played its first ...

and

Nashville Seraphs The Nashville Seraphs, often known as the Nashvilles, were a minor league baseball team that played in the Class B Southern League in 1895. They were located in Nashville, Tennessee, and played their home games at Athletic Park, later known ...

ended the 1895 season tied for first place, a meeting of the league's directors resulted in the nullification of an August 10 game between the two in which the umpire improperly made an out call following fan interference. This ruling caused the Seraphs' winning percentage to rise to .676 (71–34) and Atlanta's to fall to .667 (68–34), making Nashville the pennant winner. Chattanooga/Mobile's Lew Whistler won the league batting title with a .404 batting average. The New Orleans Pelicans (67–30, .744) won their third league pennant in 1896, giving them more championships in the original Southern League than any other club. The league was in-operational in 1897 due to the lack of financial support. In 1898, the league made it as far as July 4 before shutting down again. The

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

, club was in first place at the time with a 20–8 (.714) record. The Southern League consisted of only four teams during its 1899 season. The Mobile Blackbirds (23–16, .590) were in first place when the league suspended operations on May 1. This was the final season of competition for the original Southern League—a lack of interest and financial support caused the league to fold for good. Two years later, in 1901, the

was created by Abner Powell, Charley Frank, and Ike Fisher out of the remnants of the Southern League.

Teams

Team nicknames were not official for most teams in the 19th century. Names were often bestowed by local sportswriters or civic leaders. As such, some records only provide the city a team represented with no moniker. *Atlanta (1889)^a * Atlanta Atlantas (1885–86, 1894)^d * Atlanta Colts (1898) *

(1895–96) * Atlanta Firecrackers (1892) * Atlanta Windjammers (1893) *Augusta (1898) * Augusta Browns (1885–86) * Augusta Electricians (1893) *Birmingham (1885, 1889, 1893)^b ^c *

Birmingham Barons The Birmingham Barons are a Minor League Baseball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox and plays at Regions Field in downtown Birmingham. The current ...

(1896) * Birmingham Grays (1892) * Birmingham Ironmakers (1887) * Birmingham Maroons (1888) * Birmingham Reds (1898) *Charleston (1889)^a * Charleston Seagulls (1886–88, 1893–94, 1898) *Chattanooga (1889) * Chattanooga Chatts (1892) *

(1885–86) * Chattanooga Warriors (1893, 1895)^e * Columbus Babies (1896)^g * Columbus River Snipes (1896)^g * Columbus Stars (1885) *

Dallas Steers The Dallas Rangers were a high-level minor league baseball team located in Dallas, Texas from 1958 to 1964. The team was known by the Dallas Rangers name in 1958, 1959, and 1964 and as the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers from 1960 to 1963. It played in ...

(1899)^h * Evansville Blackbirds (1895) *

Little Rock Travelers The Little Rock Travelers were an American minor league baseball team located in Little Rock, Arkansas, and members (1902–1910, 1915–1958, 1960–1961) of the Southern Association, which as a Class A, A1 or Double-A circuit was typically tw ...

(1895) *Macon (1885–86) * Macon Central City (1892–1893) * Macon Hornets (1893–1894) *Memphis (1889) * Memphis Browns (1887) * Memphis Fever Germs (1893) * Memphis Giants (1892, 1894–1895)^f * Memphis Grays (1886, 1888) * Memphis Lambs (1895)^f * Memphis Reds (1885) *Mobile (1889)^b * Mobile Blackbirds (1892–1993, 1896, 1898–1899) * Mobile Bluebirds (1894–1895)^d ^e * Mobile Swamp Angels (1887) * Montgomery Colts (1893, 1896) * Montgomery Grays (1895) * Montgomery Lambs (1892) * Montgomery Senators (1898–1899)^h *

(1885–1886) * Nashville Blues (1887) *

(1895) *

(1893–1894) *

(1887–1889, 1892–1896, 1898–1899) *Pensacola (1893)^c *

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

(1886–1887, 1898) * Savannah Electrics (1893) * Savannah Modocs (1894) * Shreveport Tigers (1899) ;Notes *^a In 1889, Atlanta and Charleston were the same team. *^b In 1889, Birmingham and Mobile were the same team. *^c In 1893, Birmingham and Pensacola were the same team. *^d In 1894, the Mobile Bluebirds and Atlanta Atlantas were the same team. *^e In 1895, the Chattanooga Warriors and Mobile Bluebirds were the same team. *^f In 1895, Memphis's team was called both the Giants and the Lambs. *^g In 1896, the Columbus Babies and Columbus River Snipes were the same team. *^h In 1899, the Montgomery Senators and Dallas Steers were the same team.

City timeline

** Atlanta Atlantas (1885–1886) → Atlanta (1889) → Atlanta Firecrackers (1892) → Atlanta Windjammers (1893) → Atlanta Atlantas (1894) →

(1895–1896) → Atlanta Colts (1898) *

** Augusta Browns (1885–1886) → Augusta Electricians (1893) → Augusta (1898) *

**Birmingham (1885) → Birmingham Ironmakers (1887) → Birmingham Maroons (1888) → Birmingham (1889) → Birmingham Grays (1892) → Birmingham (1893) →

(1896) → Birmingham Reds (1898) *

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint ...

** Charleston Seagulls (1886–1888) → Charleston (1889) → Charleston Seagulls (1893–1894, 1898) *

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

(1885–1886) → Chattanooga (1889) → Chattanooga Chatts (1892) Chattanooga Warriors (1893, 1895) *

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it of ...

** Columbus Stars (1885) → Columbus Babies/River Snipes (1896) *

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

(1899) *

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

** Evansville Blackbirds (1895) *

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

(1895) *

**Macon (1885–1886) → Macon Central City (1892–1893) → Macon Hornets (1893–1894) *

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

** Memphis Reds (1885) → Memphis Grays (1886) → Memphis Browns (1887) → Memphis Grays (1888) → Memphis (1889) → Memphis Giants (1892) → Memphis Fever Germs (1893) → Memphis Giants (1894) → Memphis Lambs/Giants (1895) *

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-most-populous city in Alabama, ...

** Mobile Swamp Angels (1887) → Mobile Blackbirds (1892–1893) → Mobile Bluebirds (1894–95) → Mobile Blackbirds (1896, 1898–1899) *

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

** Montgomery Lambs (1892) → Montgomery Colts (1893) → Montgomery Grays (1895) → Montgomery Colts (1896) → Montgomery Senators (1898–1899) * Nashville, Tennessee **

(1885–1886) → Nashville Blues (1887) →

(1893–1894) →

(1895) *

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

(1887–1889, 1892–1896, 1898–1899) *

**Pensacola (1893) *

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

(1886–1887) → Savannah Electrics (1893) → Savannah Modocs (1894) →

(1898) *

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is ...

** Shreveport Tigers (1899)

League champions

*1885: Atlanta Atlantas *1886: Atlanta Atlantas *1887: New Orleans Pelicans *1888: Birmingham Maroons *1889: New Orleans Pelicans *1890: ''non-operational'' *1891: ''non-operational'' *1892: Birmingham Grays *1893: Augusta Electricians (1st half) / Macon Central City/Hornets (2nd half) *1894: Memphis Grays *1895: Nashville Seraphs *1896: New Orleans Pelicans *1897: ''non-operational'' *1898: Augusta *1899: Mobile Blackbirds

References

;General * ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:Southern League (1885-99) Defunct minor baseball leagues in the United States Baseball leagues in Alabama Baseball leagues in Arkansas Baseball leagues in Florida Baseball leagues in Georgia (U.S. state) Baseball leagues in Indiana Baseball leagues in Louisiana Baseball leagues in South Carolina Baseball leagues in Tennessee Baseball leagues in Texas Sports leagues established in 1885 Sports leagues disestablished in 1899