Sunday, September 17 was the perfect day for the annual 1860s-style base ball game at the iconic Historic Prospect Place in Trinway, Ohio. For the past few years, Prospect Place has teamed up with Ohio History Connection to bring this unique event to the lawn of the mansion.
The Ohio Village Muffins took on the Canal Dover Redlegs in their annual vintage contest at the estate. After a tight battle for the win, the final score was Canal Dover Redlegs – 7, Ohio Village Muffins – 5.
Vintage 1860s base ball (spelled with two words) has some interesting rules and terms that set it apart from what we know about baseball today. Watching the teams with their period uniforms and equipment catch the ball with their bare hands is probably one of the most noticeable differences. Teammates shout “leg it!” often meaning run!
“We just love teaching people about what base ball was like back in 1860 and we like playing the game. I’ve been with the team 23 years and I’ve never played but I just like being with the team, score keeping, umpiring, interpreting to the fans,” said Jim Kimnach, the Team Manager for the Ohio Village Muffins.
“We wanted to help contribute to the restoration of the place, we’ve been inside before. I think this is our fourth year here and we saw that they were really working hard and we wanted to help them out,” stated Kimnach. The event was free to spectate, but donations were suggested to go towards the continued restoration and preservation of one of Ohio’s historic treasures, Historic Prospect Place mansion.
The Ohio Village Muffins are finishing out their season but you can still catch them at one of their last four games.
To donate to the mansion or to learn more please visit https://www.gwacenter.org. You can also follow what the Ohio Village Muffins are up to by checking out their Facebook page, or for general information about the Ohio History Connection go to ohiohistory.org.
