The Troy Browns were a minor league baseball team based in

Troy, Kansas Troy is a city in and the county seat of Doniphan County, Kansas, Doniphan County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 964. History Troy was platted in 1855. It was named after ...

, In 1895, the Browns played as members of the independent

Kansas State League The Kansas State League was a minor league baseball league in the United States that operated in the state of Kansas in the late 19th century and into the early 20th century. History The Kansas State League was first established in 1887 as a ...

, winning the league championship in their only season of play.

History

Minor league baseball in Troy, Kansas began during the 1895 season, when the Troy "Browns" played as members of the four–team Independent level

. The

Emporia Maroons Emporia is the plural form of the Latin ''emporium'' may refer to: Places in the United States * Emporia, Florida * Emporia, Indiana * Emporia, Kansas * Emporia, Virginia Other uses * Emporia (early medieval), a type of trading settlement * E ...

Leavenworth Soldiers The Leavenworth Soldiers was the first professional baseball team from Leavenworth, Kansas. The club played in the Western League from 1886 to 1888. Their first year, they tied the Lincoln Tree Planters for last place at 31-49 despite the presenc ...

and

Topeka Giants Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central ...

teams joined Troy in beginning league play on May 16, 1895. Troy was noted to be the smallest city in the four–team league, with the team first forming in March 1895. The Browns were noted to have played exhibition games against the nearby St. Joseph Saints, losing the games by scores of 12–7, 20–18 and 9–1. It was noted that Troy, Kansas native

Bert Wakefield Burgess "Bert" Wakefield (May 1870 - death date unknown) was an American Negro leagues first baseman and for several years before the founding of the first Negro National League. He played for Frank Leland's traveling Chicago Unions for at le ...

played for the team, integrating the Troy roster.

Pearce Chiles Pearce Nuget Chiles (May 28, 1867 – December 11, 1933), nicknamed "What's The Use", was an American professional baseball player who played as both an outfielder and infielder in the Major Leagues from 1899-1900 for the Philadelphia Phillies. D ...

was noted to have been the captain of the team at the beginning of the season, replaced by Wakefield when Chiles was traded. Jacob Buckhart, an American Indian catcher, also was noted to have played for Troy. It was reported in the Leavenworth newspaper that Bert Wakefield was initially denied entrance to the team hotel in Leavenworth. When manager Bill Devereaux intervened and threatened to move the team to another hotel, Wakefield was allowed to stay at the hotel with his teammates. In 1895, the Troy Browns won the Kansas State League championship. Ending the season with a record of 19–14, the Browns finished the season in first place, playing under managers W.F. Johnson and Bill Devereux. Troy finished 2.0 games ahead of the second place Emporia Maroons (16–15) in the final standings, followed by the Topeka Giants (16–16) and Leavenworth Soldiers/Whiting-Holton in the final standings. It was noted that after the Kansas State League finished the 1895 season early, Troy continued playing. They reportedly played a team from

Winfield, Kansas Winfield is a city and county seat of Cowley County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in South Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,777. It is home to Southwestern College. Hi ...

. A native of California, player/manager Bill "Brick" Devereux reportedly refused to play baseball for teams in the "East" again after playing for Troy. Devereaux was noted to have played the rest of his professional career for teams in California, spanning 17 seasons. Despite their championship, the Troy franchise did not return to the 1896 league play. Troy, Kansas has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballparks

The name of the 1895 Troy Browns home minor league park is unknown.

Year–by–year record

Notable alumni

(1895) *

(1895) * Troy Browns players

References

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External links

Troy - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in Kansas Baseball teams established in 1895 Baseball teams disestablished in 1895 Kansas State League teams Doniphan County, Kansas