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89-531: Financial problems brought on by poor weather, low attendance, and a lack of local monetary support necessitated the team's transfer to Henderson, Kentucky , after June 3. At the time of their departure, Nashville was in second place with an 18–14 record, one game out of first. The league ultimately disbanded on July 20. Combined, the Nashville/ Henderson team finished in second place at 39–31, one-and-a-half games out of first. Professional baseball

178-566: A .409 average. The Spiders won the Temple Cup , an 1890s postseason series between the first- and second-place teams in the NL. Amid fan rowdyism and garbage-throwing, the Spiders won four of five games against Baltimore, including two wins for Cy Young. The 1895 championship was the high-water mark for the franchise. The following season, Baltimore and Cleveland again finished first and second in

267-643: A council at Sycamore Shoals (present-day Elizabethton, Tennessee ) to purchase over 17,000,000 acres (69,000 km ) of land between the Ohio , Cumberland , and Kentucky rivers in present-day Kentucky and Tennessee to resell it to white settlers. Known as the Transylvania Purchase , the sale was voided by the Virginia General Assembly , since the territory (and the sole right to purchase land from Indians within its bounds)

356-643: A desire which was not shared by local baseball supporters, while it was also suggested that Nashville could gain admittance to the Western League , a predecessor to the American League . Meanwhile, George Stallings and W. L. "Billy" Work were drawing up plans for the Central League , which was conceptualized in spring 1895 when Southern baseball figures were deciding how to organize for that season. Stallings and Work had been teammates on

445-446: A female householder with no husband present, and 36.8% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.86. The age distribution was 23.5% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

534-478: A five-day window to get together the funds to guarantee finishing the season, but it failed to do so. Instead, the citizens of Henderson gathered enough money to have the team transferred there. On the morning of July 20, the Washington Browns disbanded amid poor attendance and severe debt. The Evansville and Terre Haute teams dropped out of the league later that day. The Central League was finished. At

623-547: A member of the now-defunct American Association (AA), followed by eleven seasons in the National League (NL). Early names for the team included the Forest Citys and Blues . The name Spiders itself emerged early in the team's inaugural NL season of 1889, owing to new black-and-gray uniforms and the skinny, long-limbed look of many players (thereby evoking the spider arachnid). National League Park served as

712-719: A satellite campus of Murray State University . In addition, students are served by Oakland City University Evansville Center, the University of Evansville , and the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville . Henderson has a lending library , the Henderson County Public Library . Henderson is served by one local daily newspaper, The Gleaner , as well as the metro edition of the Evansville Courier & Press . Henderson

801-491: A series each against the National League 's Cincinnati Reds , the Western League's Detroit Tigers , and the minor league Atlanta Crackers and Chattanooga Blues . By mid-April, when the flood waters finally receded, Work ordered players to arrive at Nashville no later than April 19. The postponed start to their spring practice put them some two weeks behind the rest of the league, whose teams were already at work on

890-498: A sixth person before taking his own life. The shooting is the worst in the history of Henderson County in terms of casualties, surpassing triple homicides occurring in 1799 and 1955. Henderson is located in north-central Henderson County, 10 miles (16 km) south of Evansville, Indiana , and 30 miles (48 km) west of Owensboro, Kentucky . According to the United States Census Bureau , Henderson has

979-601: A total area of 17.6 square miles (45.6 km ), of which 15.3 square miles (39.6 km ) are land and 2.3 square miles (5.9 km ), or 13.01%, are water. As the state line tends to follow the Indiana side of the river, most of the Ohio River going past Henderson is within the city limits. Because the Indiana - Kentucky border is defined as the low-water mark on the north bank of the Ohio River as of 1792, and because

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1068-602: Is Henderson's oldest on-going music festival and marked its 25th continuous year in 2010. Past performers have included Bill Monroe , Emmylou Harris , Alison Krauss and Union Station , Ricky Skaggs , John Hartford , Glen Campbell , and other notable Bluegrass artists. The Folklife aspect of the festival is a celebration of local lifestyles and culture with displays on recreational folklife (traditional games), functional folklife (quilting, tatting, chair-caning, basket-making, fly-tying), oral traditions (storytelling), folk music, food traditions (curing country hams, making burgoo ,

1157-540: Is a home rule-class city along the Ohio River and the county seat of Henderson County, Kentucky , United States. The population was 29,781 at the 2020 U.S. census . It is part of the Evansville–Henderson, IN–KY Combined Statistical Area , locally known as the " Tri-State Area ," and is considered the southernmost suburb of Evansville, Indiana . Archaeological research shows that people were living in what

1246-436: Is a major-league record that will never be threatened, as current scheduling practices have teams play a maximum of 81 away games. The team's longest winning streak of the season was two games, which they accomplished once: on May 20–21. Spiders opponents scored ten or more runs 49 times in 154 games. Pitchers Jim Hughey (4–30) and Charlie Knepper (4–22) tied for the team lead in wins. The 1962 New York Mets , 40–120 (.250), and

1335-498: Is almost hazardous for even small gasoline boats to run". On June 20, 1914, Henderson was hit by a "baby cyclone". Jack Hudgions, local historian and newsman, wrote that " hail as large as partridge eggs" fell for ten minutes and that powerful winds uprooted giant trees "and twisted limbs from shade trees in the city." In the northern part of Henderson, several buildings were blown down and wheat stocks were scattered. The storm lasted for more than 30 minutes, laying crops low throughout

1424-464: Is also one of the state's leading coal producers, with over 2.8 million tons produced in 2004. Each year Henderson hosts a variety of events and festivals. The Henderson Breakfast Lions Club holds the Tri-Fest , a street festival that raises funds for non-profit organizations, in mid-April each year. There is also the free Handy Blues and Barbecue Festival in mid-June, honoring the legacy of Father of

1513-399: Is an alternative school for those suspended from the other schools in the district, Central Academy. There is one parochial school , Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School which has both elementary and middle school. and also a school for students with mental or physical deficiencies, Riverview School. Henderson is home to one postsecondary institution, Henderson Community College , as well as

1602-545: Is now Henderson County was later inhabited by the Yuchi , Shawnee and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians . Significant artifacts from these tribes and earlier peoples, including from mounds , have been found by white settlers and their descendants since the 1700s. Henderson has its roots in a small, block-wide strip of land high above the Ohio River , the site of the present-day Audubon Mill Park directly south of

1691-635: Is now Kentucky by at least 9,500 BCE, although they may have arrived much earlier. The settlers of the area after the start of the 1st millennium CE were of the Mississippian culture , a Native American civilization that flourished throughout what is now the Midwestern , Eastern , and Southeastern United States , from approximately 800 CE to 1600 CE. The population of most settlements of this culture had dispersed or were experiencing severe social and environmental stress by 1500. The area that

1780-697: Is part of the Evansville media market, the 101st-largest television market and 161st-largest radio market in the United States. WSON (860-AM) is the only locally owned radio station broadcasting from the city. The Henderson Area Rapid Transit (HART) was created in 1957 as a publicly owned mass transit system, of which all citizens who live in the city of Henderson are part owners. Some scenes from A League of Their Own , directed by Penny Marshall , were filmed in Henderson in 1991, including all of

1869-499: The Cumberland River and prone to regular flooding in the spring. Heavy March rains left the ballpark flooded and unable to accommodate any baseball activities. Having to push back their report date, Work wrote to his players asking them to practice at home until Athletic Park was ready. With their ballpark still under feet of water, all spring training exhibition games with out-of-town teams had to be cancelled, including

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1958-513: The Köppen Climate Classification system, Henderson has a humid subtropical climate , abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. As of the census of 2000, there were 27,373 people, 11,693 households, and 7,389 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,829.0 inhabitants per square mile (706.2/km ). There were 12,652 housing units at an average density of 845.4 per square mile (326.4/km ). The racial makeup of

2047-646: The Southern Association in 1901. After an off day on June 4, the team played a series each in Cairo and Paducah, where they were still referred to as Nashville. Meanwhile, Simons was still trying to place the former Nashville franchise in a new city. Decatur, the intended spot, refused to accept the team and its over $ 400 debt in unpaid player salaries and forthwith demolished their ballpark. Simons next turned to Springfield, Illinois ; Owensboro, Kentucky ; and Henderson, Kentucky . The league gave Nashville

2136-801: The Vanderbilt Commodores , 7–4, on April 26. Despite the lack of virtually any practice, the Centennial lads were scheduled to open the 1897 season on April 28 against the Evansville Brewers at Athletic Park. Nashville's Opening Day roster consisted of pitchers Theodore Conover, Jack McCoy, Charlie Petty, and Willis; catcher Frank Belt; first baseman Pat Dillard ; second basemen Charley Watkins and Patrick Lynch; third baseman Fred Blakely; shortstop Percy Griffin; left / right fielders Fred Brott and George Cleve; and center fielder Phil Veatch. Billy Work would manage from

2225-469: The poverty line , including 24.6% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over. The county has numerous industries, including aluminum production, automotive and appliance parts, plastic injection molding , tool and die making, food processing and processing of recycled materials. In June 2008, of the 20,205 jobs in Henderson, almost 12% were government jobs. It also ranks as one of Kentucky's top three corn and soybean producers. Henderson County

2314-750: The 1894 Nashville Tigers; Stallings was player-manager of that team and of the Seraphs. Whereas the Southern League was spread out across the South resulting in costly travel expenses, the Central League would be a much more compact circuit. The pair thought that either this arrangement or a state league consisting of all or mostly teams in Tennessee would be the best fit for a Nashville club. With teams from several states eagerly seeking to join

2403-634: The 1970s and is on the first weekend in October at John James Audubon State Park and has been organized by the Henderson City Lions Club since 2018. The Henderson County school system includes eight elementary schools: A.B. Chandler, Spottsville, East Heights, Bend Gate, South Heights, Jefferson, Cairo, and Niagara; two middle schools, North Middle and South Middle; and one high school, Henderson County High School . The Thelma B. Johnson Early Learning Center serves pre-schoolers. There

2492-542: The 2024 Chicago White Sox , 41–121 (.253), own the modern records in their respective leagues for the most losses, and thus draw frequent comparisons to the 1899 Spiders for futility. The Robisons' decision to effectively reduce the Spiders to minor league status, along with other intra-league raiding such as that conducted by the Dodgers and to a lesser extent the Pittsburgh Pirates , unwittingly helped pave

2581-786: The Blues W. C. Handy , and the Bluegrass in the Park Folklife Festival in August. Annual barbecues have been a Henderson tradition dating as far back as the one started on Sunday, July 18, 1926, in Atkinson Park by the Henderson Freight Station employees. Notable foods were lamb, burgoo , etc. Bluegrass in the Park Folklife Festival is one of the largest free Bluegrass festivals in the country. It

2670-567: The Cherokee, the free male inhabitants of Red Bank totaled 62. Later, in 1797, Captain Young of Mercer County, Kentucky and the "Exterminators", a group of regulators under his leadership swiftly and violently drove out the remaining outlaw element in Red Banks. Samuel Hopkins and the surveyor Thomas Allin visited Red Banks in 1797 and laid out plans for the future town of Henderson. It

2759-533: The NL, but in the battle for the 1896 Temple Cup, the second-place Spiders were swept in four games. In 1897, despite a winning record, the franchise finished fifth, a season highlighted by Young throwing the first of three career no-hitters on September 18. The Spiders again finished fifth in 1898. In 1899, the Spiders' owners, the Robison brothers, bought the St. Louis Browns out of bankruptcy and changed their name to

Nashville Centennials - Misplaced Pages Continue

2848-552: The Nashville Americans in 1885. The distance to the outfield fence was 362 feet (110 m) to left and right fields and 485 feet (148 m) to center. Extensive renovations were made prior to the 1894 season, including the construction of a new grandstand and fence. The new wooden grandstand was located just west of the original, which was also refurbished. The total seating capacity was around 1,000, consisting of about 500 opera chairs, some in private boxes near

2937-534: The Nashville Seraphs and outfielder George Cleve also of the Seraphs and the 1894 Tigers. Manager Work originally planned to have his players report to Nashville around March 27 so as to have plenty of time to prepare for the April 28 season opener. He had players signed but, unfortunately, nowhere to practice. Athletic Park, where the team was to play, was located in a low-lying area in close proximity to

3026-549: The Perfectos that they intended to run the Spiders as a "sideshow", and Cleveland fans apparently took them at their word. The Spiders' first 16 home games drew a total of 3,179 fans, or an average of 199 fans per game. Due to these meager attendance figures, the other 11 NL teams refused to come to League Park, as their cut of the revenue from ticket sales did not even begin to cover their hotel and travel expenses. The Spiders were thus forced to play 85 of their remaining 93 games on

3115-532: The Perfectos. However, they kept the Spiders as well—a blatant conflict of interest. Believing the Perfectos would draw greater attendance in more densely populated St. Louis, the Robisons transferred most of the Cleveland stars, including future Baseball Hall of Famers Cy Young , Jesse Burkett , and Bobby Wallace , to St. Louis. They also shifted a large number of Cleveland home games to the road (for instance,

3204-433: The Robison brothers' actions – which effectively ended the Spiders franchise – the practice of " syndicate ownership" was later banned. Spiders outfielder Louis Sockalexis played for the team during its final three seasons and is often credited as the first Native American to play major league baseball. The Cleveland Guardians , major league successor to the Spiders in Cleveland, have long cited Sockalexis as

3293-483: The Spiders, reportedly after comments from a team executive assessing the players. Frank H. Brunell, this team executive who also doubled as sportswriter for The Plain Dealer , noted the combination of the team's new black-and-gray uniforms together with the sight of several skinny, long-limbed players. He joked the team should be called "Spiders", and the name stuck. The team started to improve in 1891 , largely due to

3382-604: The World Series . The Spiders beat that year's pennant winner, the Baltimore Orioles (unrelated to the modern franchise ), four games to one in a best-of-seven game series. Six Spiders players were later inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame , including left fielder Jesse Burkett and pitcher Cy Young . In 1899, owners Frank and Stanley Robison purchased a second team –

3471-799: The assets of the Spiders team to Charles Somers and John Kilfoyle in 1900. In 1900, the then-minor American League (previously the Western League) fielded a team called the Cleveland Lake Shores. In 1901, after the American League declared major league status, the team was called the Cleveland Blues, eventually the Cleveland Indians, and now the Cleveland Guardians . The Cleveland Guardians have long claimed Spiders outfielder Louis Sockalexis as

3560-500: The bankrupt St. Louis NL franchise – and sent all of the Spiders' top talent to that club, including future Hall-of-Famers Young, Burkett, and Bobby Wallace . The resulting Spiders roster finished the 1899 season 20–134, a record which remains the worst for a single season in major league history. The Spiders were subsequently one of four teams contracted by the National League that year . Partly in response to

3649-432: The center of the streets without interfering. By October 29, 1799, a census for the city of Henderson showed a population of 183. The county had 423 residents, 207 slaves, and 412 horses. A post office was established in the town in 1801; the city was formally incorporated on January 21, 1840. By mid-century, Henderson County had become a major producer of tobacco , much of which was exported to Great Britain . The area

Nashville Centennials - Misplaced Pages Continue

3738-399: The cessation of play, the Henderson team was in second place with a record of 39–31 (.557), one-and-a-half games behind Evansville. The Centennials played their home games at Nashville's Athletic Park . The first grandstand was built at the northeastern corner of the block bounded by modern-day Jackson Street, Fourth Avenue North, Harrison Street, and Fifth Avenue North to accommodate fans of

3827-412: The city was 84.1% White , 11.8% Black or African American , 0.18% Native American , 0.7% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 0.58% from other races , and 1.04% from two or more races . Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.27% of the population. There were 11,693 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 14.1% had

3916-642: The city's first National League team, the Cleveland Blues , which folded after the 1884 season. After the 1886 season, the Pittsburgh Alleghenys left the American Association (AA) to join the National League. The AA, then considered a major league , chose the Cleveland group headed by Frank Robison as an expansion team to begin play in 1887 over proposals from Kansas City and Detroit. Later, Robison's brother Stanley

4005-483: The city's riverfront boat dock. A village on this site was called "Red Banks" because of the reddish clay soil of the bluffs overlooking the Ohio River. The future city was named after Richard Henderson , an eighteenth-century pioneer and land speculator, by his associates Samuel Hopkins and Thomas Allin . Henderson County also shares this namesake. On March 17, 1775, North Carolina judge Richard Henderson and his Transylvania Company had met with 1,200 Cherokee in

4094-408: The county. Telephone lines were damaged and windows broken in the city and county by the hailstones. 26 days later, the city was hit by a tornado that left two dead and much of the city in ruins. In 1937, 21 inches (530 mm) of precipitation fell in 18 days over the Ohio River watershed, resulting in the Ohio River flood of 1937 and extensive damage. Henderson, on its bluff, was spared much of

4183-599: The craft of barbecue), and foreign cultures that have integrated with local traditions, among other things. The Henderson Lions Club Arts and Crafts Festival is a large event that sees as many as 10,000 visitors each year. The Festival, originally known as the Big Rivers Arts Festival and then later taken over and known as the Green River Areas Development District Arts Festival, has been held since

4272-503: The damage that Pittsburgh , Cincinnati , Louisville , Evansville , Paducah and other river cities suffered. Leigh Harris, the publisher of the Henderson Gleaner and Evening Journal newspapers, wrote, "Henderson is on the river but never in it!" Its favorable location helped the city attract new industries. The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to

4361-467: The diamond. By April 24, half of the roster had yet to report even though they had been sent train tickets and telegraphed in response their intentions to arrive by earlier dates. The team was so shorthanded that three local amateur players had to be recruited to make up a team for a practice game on April 26. In what was to be their only tuneup game before the season commenced, the Centennials defeated

4450-544: The downtown area. In the early 20th century, recognizable neighborhoods (unincorporated places) within the city and the outlying edges of town included Audubon , Weaverton , and Audubon Heights . Segments of Audubon and Weaverton were sometimes referred to as the "East End", which held the second-largest business area after downtown Henderson. A workplace shooting occurred at an Atlantis Plastics factory in Henderson on June 25, 2008. The gunman, 25-year-old Wesley Neal Higdon, shot and killed five people and critically injured

4539-408: The dugout or play the field as needed. Watkins, a local player, was added only for the first game until Lynch could join the team. The Opening Day game was a pitchers' duel between Nashville's Willis and Evansville's King Bailey witnessed by about 500 people in attendance. The visitors scored their first run on an error in the first inning and followed up with another run in the second. In

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4628-443: The exposition, which drew in nearly two million visitors, would also attract patrons to the ballpark. In the end, it was supposed that the many other attractions offered by their namesake Centennial City in conjunction with the year's celebration drew too much attention away from what had become a promising team. President Simmons announced the league's intention to transfer the club to Decatur, Illinois . The league took possession of

4717-459: The fifth, Willis drove in Watkins with an RBI double and later scored on Blakey's base hit , tying the game. Evansville scored again in the seventh, defeating the home team, 5–4. Work said afterwards that he expected much better from his team as they got in more playing time, this having been the first time many of them had played together. Nashville lost the next afternoon's game, 2–1, after it

4806-399: The front, and bleachers along Fourth Avenue. By early 1897, the ballpark had fallen into dilapidation. Work was desirous of building a new ballpark for the team, but eventually settled on making repairs to Athletic Park, the less costly choice. The old bleachers were replaced with seats, additional seating was added, and the fences were repaired. The facility, known as Sulphur Dell from 1908,

4895-606: The inspiration for their controversial former team name – "Indians" – in use from 1915 to 2021 . Sockalexis played three seasons for the Cleveland Spiders, from 1897 to 1899, and is often credited as the first Native American to play professional baseball at the major league level. During his time with the Spiders, the press often referred to the team as the Indians or "Tebeau's Indians". The Cleveland Guardians claim has been disputed, however, including in

4984-511: The inspiration for their controversial former team name – "Indians" – though that claim is disputed. The Spiders were the third professional baseball franchise based in Cleveland. The first team, Forest City , which played from 1870 through 1872, was initially an independent team before joining the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players for two seasons before disbanding. They were followed in 1879 by

5073-546: The late 1800s and early 1900s. The "great sleet " of 1901 fell for three weeks in February. "Horses had to have special shoes to keep their footing on local roads." In 1908 the Henderson area had high temperatures and a drought , which markedly reduced the flow of the Ohio River. The Henderson Daily Gleaner reported that "boys were playing baseball every day in the middle of the old riverbed." All businesses were challenged and forced to close. A Henderson reporter wrote, "[I]t

5162-451: The league's membership, and franchises were granted to clubs in Cairo, Illinois ; Evansville, Terre Haute , and Washington, Indiana ; Paducah, Kentucky ; and Nashville. Nashville's team has come to be known as the Centennials. Though there are no contemporary references to this moniker, local newspapers commonly called the team the "Centennial lads" and the "Centennial City lads." The name

5251-513: The local Cherokee. On November 16, 1792, resident Robert Simpson wrote to Alexander D. Orr in Lexington , requesting help to appoint a magistrate for Red Banks to deal with some of its 30 families he felt were of dubious (criminal) character. During this period, the Red Banks settlement had gained notoriety as a frontier haven for westward-moving outlaws and their families. One such family was that of Squire Samuel Mason . By that time, excluding

5340-502: The normal expenditures of running a ball club, the team was "a few hundred dollars" in debt. On May 11, league president George Simons wrote to the sports editor of The Nashville American that he hoped Nashville to remain in the league, but that there were several prospective cities waiting to accept the team if their money troubles went unresolved. Simons went on to ask the editor to share the letter with local baseball supporters in hopes that they would put together an organization to back

5429-590: The original Opening Day game was shifted to St. Louis). With a decimated roster, the Spiders made a wretched showing. They finished with a dismal win-loss record of 20–134 (.130), the worst in MLB history , 84 games behind the pennant-winning Brooklyn Superbas and 35 games behind the next-to-last (11th) place Washington Senators . Their batting records were the worst in the league in runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, walks, stolen bases, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. The Robisons announced after buying

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5518-409: The proposed Central League, representatives met to organize in Evansville on January 20, 1897. While the exact league lineup was not finalized at the meeting, it was resolved that the circuit was to consist of six teams who would pay a $ 500 deposit to guarantee they would play the entire season, and player salaries were capped at $ 900 per team. Officials met again on February 7 in Evansville to solidify

5607-823: The river changed course as a result of the New Madrid earthquake of 1812, a small portion of Henderson County (approximately 4 miles (6 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide), lies north of the current course of the river in what would appear to be part of Indiana. Both the Bi-State Vietnam Gold Star Bridges and the Ellis Park Race Course horse racing track are located entirely within Kentucky. The racetrack uses Indiana's 812 area code despite officially being located in Kentucky. Henderson had unusual weather patterns in

5696-419: The road. Counting the large number of home games that had been shifted to the road earlier in the season, they only played 42 home games during the season, including only eight after July 1, and finished 9–33 (.214) at home and 11–101 (.098) on the road. Only 6,088 fans paid to attend Spiders home games in 1899, for a pitiful average of a mere 145 spectators per game in 9,000-seat League Park. The 101 road losses

5785-486: The same league from 1893 to 1894. The Nashville Seraphs won the city's first professional championship in the Southern League in 1895. Nashville planned to field another team in the Southern League's 1896 season, but refused to participate when one club rejected putting up its US$ 500 guarantee to finish the season, instead suggesting that each of the other clubs pay a portion of its deposit in addition to their own $ 500. The Southern League hoped Nashville would rejoin for 1897,

5874-629: The scenes in and around the house where the team was living; it's located on Main Street in Henderson. The horse betting scene in Traveller starring Bill Paxton , Mark Wahlberg and Julianna Margulies was filmed at Ellis Park in 1995. Cleveland Spiders The Cleveland Spiders were an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland , Ohio . The team competed at the major league level from 1887 to 1899, first for two seasons as

5963-492: The season had previous major league experience. Charlie Petty , a Nashville native, played for the Cincinnati Red Stockings (1889), New York Giants (1893), Washington Senators (1894), and Cleveland Spiders (1894). Theodore Conover had also pitched one game for the 1889 Red Stockings. Two other players would have been familiar faces to Nashville baseball fans at the time: shortstop Patrick Lynch of

6052-404: The season, a "World's Championship Series" exhibition was played between Cleveland and the first-half winner Boston Beaneaters , but the Spiders could only muster one tie in six games. In 1895, the Spiders again finished second, this time to the equally rough-and-tumble Baltimore Orioles . Young again led the league in wins , and speedy left fielder Jesse Burkett won the batting title with

6141-494: The signing of future Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young . The Spiders had their first taste of success in 1892 when they finished 93–56 overall; winning the second half by three games over Boston with a 53–23 record. Other than standout second baseman Cupid Childs , the Spiders had an unremarkable offense. Their success in 1892 was built on pitching strength; Cy Young was the NL's most dominant hurler, and 22-year-old George Cuppy had an outstanding rookie year. Following

6230-403: The specifics of the lettering. With no contemporary references to the team as the "Centennials," and clubs of this period regularly displaying their city's name on their jerseys, the lettering may have spelled "NASHVILLE." Seventeen players competed in at least one game for the Centennials. Three also played for major league teams during their careers. Henderson, Kentucky Henderson

6319-540: The team from Work and placed it in the hands of catcher Frank Belt. He would lead the team until it could be permanently established in its new city. Only George Cleve elected to leave the team with the rest staying together. The city of Nashville was left without a professional baseball team until the Nashville Baseball Club , better known as the Nashville Vols, was formed as a charter member of

6408-688: The team in the Centennial City. Nashville played its final game at Athletic Park on June 3 against the Terre Haute Hottentots . The Centennial lads seemed to put forth very little effort, scoring only two runs on four hits while the Hottentots put up 15 runs on just as many hits. The game was called in the eighth inning to the relief of players and fans alike. The team left town in second place with an 18–14 (.563) record, one game out of first. It was, at first, expected that

6497-507: The team on May 20. Also, Lynch was disqualified from playing after the Texas League claimed to hold him in reserve . A second baseman by the name of Kyle was signed to take his place until the matter could be resolved. Kyle joined the team on May 21, and Lynch was later cleared to return to Nashville on June 1. In need of extra pitching, Work signed Will Geralds, a local semi-pro, on May 26. The next home stand would help decide whether

6586-466: The team would remain in Nashville or be forced to look for better patronage elsewhere. With the weather and the team's play improving, home attendance began to increase. President Simons arrived in Nashville on June 1 to assist Work with organizing a stock company to support the team. They succeeded in finding gentlemen willing to support the team, but were not able to work up the necessary amount to keep

6675-402: The team's home for its first four seasons until the opening of League Park in 1891. Amid seven straight winning seasons under manager Patsy Tebeau , the team finished second in the National League three times – in 1892 , 1895 , and 1896 . While the Spiders never won the National League pennant , the club did win the 1895 Temple Cup , a two-team league championship playoff predating

6764-515: The team. The Centennials played well on the road, returning to Nashville on May 24 in second place holding on to a 13–10 (.565) record. They played an exhibition game that day against an amateur team in Princeton, Kentucky , winning, 10–3. While on the trip, Theodore Conover, who was on the Opening Day roster, made his first appearance of the season in a May 19 loss at Evansville. Willis left

6853-496: The visiting Cairo Egyptians . They would spend the next two weeks on the road. It was during this long road trip that financial problems and the question as to how long the team would remain in Nashville began to surface. Costly repairs to fix flood damage at Athletic Park and the cancellation of their preseason exhibition games were the first financial strains on the club. Cold and rainy weather resulted in poor attendance and low profits from ticket sales. With less money coming in and

6942-470: The way to the National League's loss of its major league monopoly. The 12th-place Spiders were one of four teams contracted out of the National League at the end of the 1899 season (the others were the 11th-place Senators, the ninth-place Louisville Colonels and the bankrupt fourth-place Baltimore Orioles ). The 1899 fiasco played a role in the major leagues passing a rule which barred one person from owning controlling interest in two clubs. The Robisons sold

7031-493: The world. Great Britain, however, imposed a high tariff on imported tobacco after the war, wrecking the county and city's export market. Tobacco warehouses and plants closed, and the community's economic fortunes reversed. The last tobacco facility, the Soaper Tobacco Warehouse on Pennell Street, closed in 1984. Henderson continued as a regional center into the 20th century. Businesses were concentrated in

7120-408: Was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 30,427, and the median income for a family was $ 39,887. Males had a median income of $ 32,131 versus $ 22,225 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 17,925. About 13.2% of families and 16.5% of the population were below

7209-469: Was added to the ownership group. Initially, the team was known as the Forest Citys, drawing on the city's nickname and the nickname that had been used on the city's two previous professional baseball teams. The nickname Blues was also used again in reference to the team uniforms. The Forest Citys were a weak team in their early years. In 1889 , they moved to the National League and became known as

7298-592: Was called in the sixth on account of a downpour which had started as a drizzle in the second. The Centennials got their first win on April 30 behind the pitching of Petty, who allowed just one run on four hits and went three-for-three at the plate. The team left for a three-game road trip at Evansville after the opening series so as not to coincide with the opening of the Centennial Exposition on May 1. They returned on May 5 and fared much better in their second home series, as they took all three games from

7387-587: Was demolished in 1969 after serving as the home of the Nashville Vols from 1901 to 1963. Since 2015, the site has been the location of First Horizon Park , the home ballpark of the Triple-A Nashville Sounds baseball team. No photographs of the team are known to exist. At a meeting of the league's directors on February 7, 1897, the uniform colors for each team were decided upon. Nashville's were to be "blue with maroon trimmings." It

7476-634: Was first played in Nashville, Tennessee , by the Nashville Americans , who were charter members of the original Southern League from 1885 to 1886 and played their home games at Sulphur Spring Park, later renamed Athletic Park and Sulphur Dell . This ballpark was to be the home of Nashville's minor league teams through 1963. In 1887, Nashville's Southern League team was called the Nashville Blues . The Nashville Tigers competed in

7565-458: Was formally established by the Kentucky legislature the same year. A distinguishing characteristic of the new town plan was unusually wide streets, reportedly to prevent a fire in one block from easily spreading to another. Even with diagonal parking spaces outlined on downtown streets today, the streets are wide enough to include two-way traffic and space left over for delivery trucks to park in

7654-592: Was in reference to the celebration of the one-hundredth anniversary of the Tennessee's admission to the union in 1796. The centerpiece of which was the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition held in Centennial Park from May 1 to October 30, 1897. By February 10, Billy Work, who was to manage the Nashville club, had already begun acquiring players. Two pitchers signed to start

7743-587: Was later suggested that being the Centennial year, uniforms should consist of America's national colors. Accordingly, manager Work ordered uniforms from A. G. Spalding & Brothers described thusly in the March 12 edition of The Nashville American : "the pants made of blue, the shirts white, with red letters across the breast, and the caps red. The stockings will be either blue or red, which of these colors, however, has not been decided upon." There are no further accounts of which stockings were selected or any details on

7832-499: Was part of Virginia's royal charter . However, the commonwealth granted Henderson and his company an area of 200,000 acres (810 km ) to develop. It was located at the confluence of the Green and Ohio rivers. Henderson hired Daniel Boone to survey the country and select favorable sites, but Henderson died before the town was developed. By the early 1790s, Red Banks had a tavern and several European-American families co-existing with

7921-461: Was reported to be the largest dark tobacco producer in the world; large tobacco warehouses and stemmeries dotted the downtown Henderson area. Postcards from the era show long lines of horse- and mule-drawn wagons piled high with tobacco, waiting their turn to unload for shipment downriver. Some tobacco processors accumulated considerable fortunes. Shortly before World War I , Henderson was said to have more millionaires per capita than any other city in

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