FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Jason Nelson

The Hermitage, Home of President Andrew Jackson

(615) 889-2941, ext. 223

The Hermitage ToHost Free Vintage Base Ball Games

See America’s original game at The Hermitage

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 16, 2016) –On Saturday, June 25, The Hermitage will give Nashville residents and visitors a glimpse into the beginning of America’s favorite pastime, hosting three vintage baseball games with the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball at Andrew Jackson’s historic home. The matchesare free to the general public, but do not include general admission to The Hermitage.

The Hog and Hominy Picked 9 and the Quicksteps Club of Spring Hill, both of the Nashville League, along with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, Cincinnati Buckeyes and the Champion City Hill Toppers, will compete in games at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. The playing field will now accommodate two matches simultaneously.

“Our guests can experience what America’s favorite pastime was like following Jackson’s era,” said Howard Kittell, president and CEO of The Hermitage. “As an educational institution, The Hermitage is always looking for opportunities to share and highlight the most interesting and significant parts of our history and culture with the community.”

The gameof baseball Americans know today was beginning to take root in American culture during the presidency and later life of Andrew Jackson. In September 1845, three months after Jackson’s death, a group of New York City men founded the New York Knickerbocker Baseball Club, which quickly adopted its own set of rules for the sportthat would eventually evolve to the modern-day version of the game.

Before the sportwas one word, it was “base ball.”In the older version of the game,field players caught balls without gloves, the pitcher pitched underhanded, and the rules, uniforms and culture differed from modern baseball.

Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket or chair and watch the popular sport in its original fashion. Vendors will offer a variety of classic ballpark fare for purchase at the Game Field.

The 2016 schedule for the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball can be found at

UNIQUE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF VINTAGE BASEBALL:

  • The ball isn’t just for play.The winning team of each match receives the ball as a trophy in the rules of vintage baseball.
  • The bat used in vintage baseball must be made of nothing else besides wood, but the length of the bat can be at whatever length the striker sees fit.
  • Field pitchers are to use their hands instead of gloves to catch the ball.
  • Unlike the modern game, under 1864 rules, fair balls may roll foul and still be in play. Under the customs of the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball, if a ball touches the backstop on the fly or on the bound, the ball will be considered dead. If the ball strikes a fielder in fair territory and then rolls foul, it shall be declared a fair ball.
  • A player making the home base shall be entitled to score one run.
  • The striker is out if a foul ball is caught, either before touching the ground, or upon the first bound.

Source: Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball Rules and Regulations

THE HISTORY OF BASEBALL:

-1791: Baseball’s earliest roots are founded in a bylaw in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

-1839: Abner Doubleday is credited with inventing baseball in Cooperstown, N.Y.

-1845: Alexander Joy Cartwright develops the rules of baseball.

-1846: The first official game of baseball is played between the Knickerbockers and a group of cricket players.

- 1850: California enters the Union.

- 1861: The Civil War begins.

- 1866: The first women’s baseball team is started by a group from Vassar College.

- 1867: Candy Cummings throws the first curveball in baseball.

- 1869: An all-professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, takes the field for the first time.

- 1876: The National League is established, with William Hulbert as president.

- 1877: Four players are banned from baseball for accepting bribes.

- 1882: The American Baseball Association, also known as the Beer and Whiskey League, is created.

- 1884: Moses Fleetwood Walker becomes the first African-American player in the major leagues.

-1890: Cy Young pitches in the majors for the first time.

-1900: The American League is founded.

Source: Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns

Take Me Out To The Ballgame: A Historical Timeline Of Baseball

About The Hermitage

Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage: Home of the People’s President is one of the largest, most well-preserved and most visited presidential homes in the United States. Opened to the public in 1889, The Hermitage is one of America’s first presidential museums. Today, The Hermitage is a 1,120-acre National Historic Landmark with 27 historic buildings, including Jackson’s mansion and tomb, restored slave cabins, a church, and gardens. In recent years, new interpretive initiatives and educational programs such as archaeology and the history of slavery have enhanced the experience of more than 180,000 annual visitors. Last year, on Jan. 8, The Hermitage launched its newest exhibit, Andrew Jackson: Born for a Storm, which delves into the life of Andrew Jackson, including his military and presidential careers. For more information, visit

About the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball

The Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball was established in 2012 to entertain and educate the community by recreating the civility of 19th century baseball. It promotes living history by bringing the 19th century to life through baseball events that use rules, equipment, costumes and culture of the era. For more information, visit

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