The Taylorville Tailors were a minor league baseball team based in Taylorville, Illinois. The Tailors teams played as members of the Class D level

Eastern Illinois League The Eastern Illinois League was a Class-D league in Minor League Baseball that existed during the 1907 and 1908 baseball seasons. The league president as of 1907 was L. A. G. Shoaff. According to the 1908 Spalding Guide, the league got its start ...

in 1907 and 1908. Following the folding of the Eastern Illinois League, the 1911 Taylorville "Christians" played the season as members of the Class D level Illinois-Missouri League.

History

The 1907 Taylorville Tailors began minor league play as charter members of the

. The league was formed under league president L. A. G. Shoaff as a six–team, Class D level league. The 1908

Spalding Guide There have been several Baseball Guides since the 19th century - the '' Spalding Guide'' and ''Reach Guide'' were the primary ones for decades. The two merged eventually and then were replaced by the Guides put out by ''The Sporting News''. The main ...

indicated the league was founded in Pana, Illinois and the league's "godfather" was Joe Adams, also known as "Old Wagon Tongue," who would later manage the 1911 Taylorville team. In 1907 the league teams had a salary limit of $600 for their rosters. The

Centralia White Stockings Centralia may refer to: Places Australia *Central Australia, sometimes called "Centralia" Canada * Centralia, Ontario ** RCAF Station Centralia, a former Royal Canadian Air Force training base ** Centralia (Essery Field) Aerodrome United States ...

, Charleston Broom Corn Cutters,

Mattoon Giants The Mattoon Giants were an Eastern Illinois League baseball team based in Mattoon, Illinois Mattoon ( ) is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 16,870 as of the 2020 census. The city is home to Lake Land College and ...

, Pana Coal Miners and

Shelbyville Queen Citys The Shelbyville Queen Citys were a minor league baseball team based in Shelbyville, Illinois. In 1907 and 1908, the Shelbyville Queen Citys played exclusively as members of the Class D (baseball), Class D level Eastern Illinois League and hosted ho ...

joined Taylorville as charter members of the league. After beginning league play on May 12, 1907, the Taylorville Tailors finished the 1907 Eastern Illinois League season in third place in the six–team league. The Tailors finished with a 60–58 record under managers

Phil Ketter Philip Ketter (born Philip Ketterer; April 13, 1884 – April 9, 1965) was an American Major League Baseball catcher who played for the St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wiscon ...

and Billy Ryan. Ketter led the Eastern Illinois league in hitting (.284) and in hits with 111. Taylorville finished 14.0 games behind the first place Mattoon Giants in the final Eastern Illinois League standings. Taylorville continued play in the 1908 Eastern Illinois League, but the league folded during the season. An evangelical movement led by former major league player Billy Sunday promoted a ballot item on April 7, 1908, that sought to abolish alcohol in the region. After the election, six of the Eastern Illinois League’s eight franchise cities voted to become dry and the league began to suffer financially, as Sunday games and support from saloons were eliminated. Affected by finances, the

Charleston Evangelists Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundl ...

and Mattoon Giants folded on June 30, 1908, leaving six teams. On July 17, 1908, the Pana Coal Miners relocated to Linton, Indiana and the

Danville Speakers Danville or Dansville may refer to: ;Canada *Danville, Quebec ;United States *Danville, Alabama *Danville, Arkansas *Danville, California *Danville, Georgia *Danville, Illinois *Danville, Indiana *Danville, Iowa * Danville, Kansas *Danville, Kentu ...

moved to

Staunton, Illinois Staunton is the second largest city in Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 5,054. History Name origins A man named Stanton bought land in the area, and then decided to move on and gave the land to ...

in efforts to remain viable. On August 20, 1908, the Shelbyville franchise folded, and the Eastern Illinois League permanently folded on the same date. Playing under managers Walter Diehl and Billy Ryan, Taylorville was in second place with a 56–39 record, 10.5 games behind the first place Staunton team when the league permanently folded. Taylorville returned a team to minor league baseball play in 1911, when the "Taylorville Christians" became members of the Class D level Illinois-Missouri League and finished last in their only season of play. The Christians ended the season with a 47–82 record to place sixth in the six–team league. Taylorville finished 27.0 games behind the first place

Clinton Champs Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has frequently been used as a given ...

, playing their final season under managers Fred Donovan, Joe Adams and Oscar Denny. The Taylorville franchise did not return to the Illinois-Missouri league in 1912. Taylorville, Illinois has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

The name of the Taylorville home minor league ballpark is not directly referenced. Since the late 1850's, the Manners Park site has served as a public park in Taylorville and was in use in the era. Manners Park is still in use today, with "several ballfields." The park is located at 18 Manners Park Road in Taylorville, Illinois. Taylorville Chautauqua Auditorium

Timeline

Year–by–year records

Notable alumni

* Joe Adams (1911, MGR) *

Coonie Blank Frank Ignatz Blank (October 18, 1892 – December 8, 1961) was a catcher in Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is compo ...

(1911) *

Fred Donovan Frederick Maurice Donovan (July 4, 1864 – March 7, 1916) was a professional baseball catcher and manager. He played in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Spiders in 1895.

(1911) *

Elmer Johnson Elmer Ellsworth Johnson (June 12, 1884 – October 31, 1966) was a catcher in Major League Baseball. Nicknamed "Hickory", he played for the New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York ...

(1908) *

(1907, MGR) * Art Phelan (1908) * Ray Schalk (1911)

References

{{Reflist

External references

Taylorville - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in Illinois Baseball teams established in 1907 Baseball teams disestablished in 1908 Eastern Illinois League teams Christian County, Illinois