Rochester Grangers
Interpretive Manual
A volunteer group of fine ladies and gentlemen associated with
March 26, 2014
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Introduction
Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm
The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm is a 16-acre park owned and operated by the City of
Rochester Hills. The facility includes the 1927 Van Hoosen Dairy Barn, the 1850 Red House and the 1840 Van
Hoosen Farmhouse. The entire site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The grounds are
bordered by Stoney Creek and contain numerous gardens, archaeological sites, and ponds.
Five generations of the Taylor-Van Hoosen Families lived on this site, culminating in the lives of Dr. Bertha
Van Hoosen (1863-1952) a world-renowned surgeon, and Dr. Sarah Van Hoosen Jones (1892-1972) a worldrenowned breeder of dairy cattle.
The surrounding area is known as Stony Creek Village – settled in 1823 by Elisha Taylor. It remains one of the
few intact 19th century villages in the Midwest.
Mission Statement
Because appreciation of the present is enhanced by understanding the past, the Rochester Hills Museum at Van
Hoosen Farm interprets, preserves, and collects the history of the greater Rochester area for present and future
generations.
Vision Statement
The Museum is the primary site for learning about and preserving the history of the greater Rochester Area in
Oakland County, Michigan.
Located in Stoney Creek Village, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, this 16-acre
museum complex was home to the Taylor and Van Hoosen families dating back to 1823. It features structures
original to the property from 1840 to the early 20th century.
Presented in a restored 1927 Dairy Barn are well-designed and informative exhibits highlighting the settlement,
agriculture, industry and cultural evolution of this community. The museum serves as the repository for
artifacts and archives related to the greater Rochester area and offers access for research.
What is a Granger?
The Grange started in 1867 as a farmer’s protest movement against powerful railroad companies that controlled
everything from freight charges to schedules. The crusade roared across the country, gathering members and
political clout. Within eight years of its founding there were 21,000 Granges across the United States with a
total of 850,000 members. Among the organization’s numerous accomplishments was the passage of state laws
regulating railroad monopolies (known as Granger Laws) eventually leading to the Interstate Commerce act of
1887 and, three years later, the Sherman Antitrust Act.
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Oliver Kelley, a zealot for farmers’ rights, founded the organization. While working as a government clerk for
the Bureau of Agriculture, Kelley toured America and came away fueled by stories like that of the farmer
whose only profit from his crop after freight charges was enough money to buy a pair of shoes. Kelley enlisted
the help of a fellow employee and together they founded the Fraternal Order of the Patrons of Husbandry, the
formal name for the organization that was to give farmers a united voice.
The Grange fathers took their radical concept and embellished it with nostalgic romantic trappings popular at
the period. For example, the organization is structured to symbolize old English farms known as granges. The
Grange Hall represents the entire farm estate and the person who heads each chapter is known as the Worthy
Master.
Like the Masons, Grangers pursued a series of “degrees”. There are seven Granger degrees, each involving a
phase of moral instruction. Those who achieve them are able to participate in elaborate ceremonies.
From a biblical standpoint, the Grange movement followed the book of Ruth – the story of Ruth’s fidelity to her
widowed mother-in-law, and her humble gleaning of a wealthy man’s fields expressed many of the ideals
Grangers hold dear.
Although bordering the anachronistic, the feminine touch is another reflection of the Grange’s pioneering
history – the organization was one of the first in the country to admit women as full members. In fact, three
positions in the Grange are for women only. These are named after figures from Roman mythology – Flora,
goddess of flowers; Pomona, goddess of fruits; and Ceres, goddess of agriculture. Women have played leading
roles in Grange history, often using the organization to forward feminist causes. In Michigan, Mary Mayo, a
state Grange leader in the 1870s pressed the Michigan Agricultural College (now Michigan State University), to
admit women. Another state Grange leader, Dora Stockman, launched her political career as a Granger. In
1938, while serving as a state representative, she helped draft the Michigan Hospital Service Bill to assure farm
families, among others, medical coverage – this program became Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan.5
The Rochester Grange, No. 257, Patrons of Husbandry, was organized with thirty-five members in March, 1874
with M.P. Newberry as its Master and Frank Thorpe, secretary. There were sixty members in 1877.6
Historical Overview of the Rochester Grangers
Organized sports started in Rochester in the late 1860s. There was a town baseball team as early as 1873, and
by 1875 there was a merchant’s league - in that year the Grangers beat the Mechanics 25-15. Rochester
supported a baseball club that played surrounding towns well into the 1930s. A local team name also includes
the “Independents”.7
5
Traverse, November 1998, Made in Another America. Edwards, Elizabeth, pgs 34-39
History of Oakland County, 1877 pgs 146-147.
7
A Lively Town, 152 Years in Rochester, Rochester Centennial Commission, 1969, pg. 97
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A woman’s base ball team shows up in Rochester based on the
following article from the Rochester Era:
Early Baseball in Michigan
Peter Morris has a well-documented history of baseball in Michigan with his book Baseball Fever. Several
interesting notes for those of us interpreting the game:
 Baseball is at heart a country boy’s game that was fundamentally changed when it moved to the city.
 Competition was often viewed as socially dysfunctional in premodern America and that only with the
rise of industrialism between 1820 and 1870 did Americans firmly come to accept competition as a
valued mechanism for achieving social progress. “Discourtesy is a greater disgrace than losing”.
 Most of the credit for popularizing the elements that helped transform baseball is given to the
Knickerbockers Club formed by a group of New York City residents in the early 1840s. Membership to
this club was restricted: “ No person can obtain membership in the club merely for his reputation as a
player; he must also have the reputation of a gentleman”. The Knickerbockers introduced the first
uniforms, kept detailed records of scoring, and at the conclusion of their matches would give three
cheers for each team and the umpire, the losing team would provide the winners with a baseball, and
then both clubs would enjoy a meal. The Knickerbockers first wrote their rules down in 1845. There
were 12 base ball clubs in New York City by 1855 and 125 by 1858.
 Baseball was the first game Americans learned principally from print. Town ball was handed down
from generation to generation orally but baseball was learned by reading printed regulations. Its history
has been intertwined with that of newspapers.
 Some clubs even had special songs that they sang on their way to the ballpark. After a match they
would provide three cheers for their opponents and the umpire. These rituals helped control
competitiveness for a while but it became increasingly difficult for losing clubs to play along with these
rituals.
 The earliest game in Michigan appears to have been in 1857 played by a club from Birmingham,
representing the town of “Bloomfield” that beat a club from Troy 100-60.
 By the 1850s there was social concern about what young men were doing with their free time – mainly
spending it in saloons and billiard halls. While baseball was not physically demanding, it required more
energy than most past times of the mid 19th century such as horse racing, pigeon shooting, yachting and
billiards.
 Baseball was considered an acceptable compromise for channeling excess energy of young men and for
keeping them from the temptations associated with city living.
 The first regulation baseball club in Michigan was in Detroit in 1857 – the Franklin Base Ball Club of
Detroit named after Benjamin Franklin – they played no games that year and by 1858 the club called it
quits.
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By 1859 The Detroit Base Ball Club and the Early Risers were clubs established in Detroit. The Early
Risers practiced at 4:00 a.m. in a lot adjoining Campus Martius. The teams played in 1859 and the
Detroit Club won 59-21.
The 1861 season got off to a flying start. The Detroit Base Ball Club and the Early Risers couldn’t wait
for the season to start and on February 21 the two clubs met at a local skating park to participate in
Michigan’s first game of baseball on ice skates. By April 9, baseball clubs stopped playing due to the
start of the Civil War. Popular histories of baseball often attribute the spread of baseball to the Civil
War, claiming that soldiers learned the game during the war and brought it back with them. Baseball
was still in its infancy in the South and there is evidence that the Civil War did help the game to catch on
there. However, extending this conclusion to the North is problematic at best. There is no proof that
games were played between Union and Confederate soldiers. Games played by Union soldiers may have
been townball, and “soaking’ was common (hitting a runner with the ball to put him out).
Practices were called either “practice” or “field exercises”.
After the Civil War, the New York version of baseball had vanquished the Massachusetts and all other
versions. This pushed New York City to the forefront of the game. In 1862 the first enclosed playing
field regularly used for baseball was created in Brooklyn, and soon after admission was charged to use
it. The outfield fence was created not as a home run target but to keep out nonpaying spectators. As
soon as money was being made, players started expecting a share.
Baseball Interpretation
Behavior
 “Hi” did not exist. “Good day” or “Good afternoon” would have been used.
 Players would have rolled up their sleeves if it was warm outside but the sleeves would have been rolled
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down when talking to women.
Men would be introduced to women; they would not have approached women on their own.
The railroads saved base ball – it created affordable transcontinental travel for teams.
Cartes de Visite (CDV)
The base ball cards we use today are replicas from Cartes de visite (cdv) used in the past. A cdv is a
photographic print pasted to a cardboard mount measuring about 2-1/2" by 4." Most Cartes de visite used
albumen prints, though other processes, including the gelatin-silver print, were used later on.
Duration:
Popular Years:
1855-1905
1860-1875
The Frenchman Andre-Adolphe-Eugene Disdere introduced Cartes de visite into popular production. Disdere
had devised a rotating camera that could produce eight individual pictures on one negative. After printing on
albumen paper, the images were cut apart and glued to card-sized mounts.
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CDV of John Wilkes Booth.
Carte de visite is French for 'visiting card,' as this was a popular use of these small picture cards. A woman
might pass out a Carte, with her picture on it; to the friends, relatives and associates she visited. In the United
States, Cartes became popular at the beginning of the Civil War. They were used for many purposes, including
use as identification cards for soldiers and as family portraits. Cartes of popular subjects, such as romantic
locations or famous persons, were made commercially and could be bought at local stores. Queen Victoria and
Abraham Lincoln were popular subjects. Collecting cartes and putting them into specially made albums was a
popular hobby, and many of these albums exist today.
Cartes depicting baseball subjects vary in styles and subject. They depict both famous and long forgotten
players. For a period it was fashionable to have a family baby or young boy pose with a small bat and/or ball.
The Cartes come in many photographic and mount styles. Some images are straightforward and plain, while
others are visually appealing composites-designs.
Chronology
 In 1850, baseball reportage was scanty while cricket was covered in depth, an indicator of both games’
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appeal. Twenty years later, baseball was so popular that devotees devoured inning-by-inning newspaper
accounts of games. It was baseball writers who were responsible for this change; they were the sport’s
most passionate promoters when it was still striving for acceptance.8
Mid 1850s – Baseball is known as “the National past time”.9
1857 Sliding, as we know it, was allowed but it was not common.
January 22, 1857
The first formal baseball convention is held in New York City with 25 teams represented. A rule is
passed to make all baseball games 9 innings long: it takes 5 innings to make a game official. Prior to
this, games were to 21 aces (runs). In 1880 the 8-½-inning game started where the winning team did not
take their last at bats in the bottom of the ninth inning.
1858
The National Association of Base Ball Players decides to adopt the called strike as a penalty to batters
who do not swing at “good balls repeatedly pitched to him, for the apparent purpose of delaying the
game”. The batter will receive a warning before each called strike. Called “balls” were adopted for the
1863 season. Pitches that were neither were “nothing’.
Country Gazette, Vol.XI, Issue No. III, Dyer, Colleen, pg.125
Saint Croix Base Ball Club Base Ballist’s Handbook for the 2001 season
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 December 14, 1864
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The National Association of Base Ball Players adopts a rule for the 1865 season stating that outs may be
recorded only when a ball is caught on a fly and not on the first bound.
By 1865 some players were making a living playing baseball.10
1871 - Players could over run first base. Votes to allow over running of second and third were not
passed.
Fair-Foul Hit
The fair-foul hit was a common strategic practice for many years. It was introduced as an intentional practice
during the mid 1860s. Henry Chadwick lobbied for its removal as early as 1873 and succeeded in having it
changed to the modern definition by 1877. The result that year was a reduction in runs, fan base and profits as
well as the early retirement of some hitters that depended on it.11
Gloves
There is documentation of occasional glove use in 1867. The majority of catchers wore gloves by the mid1870s and literally all players were wearing gloves by 1895, the vast majority by 1890. 12 Gloves were initially
leather with the fingertips cut off and used on both hands.
Team Song
While team songs were common among early clubs, only the Rochester Grangers maintain this tradition among
teams today.
Hear ye, fellow Grangers
Brethren, heed the call,
Come one, come all and join us
Beyond the stony wall.
Lay aside your troubles
Upon the field of dreams,
Come play the game that calls usThe best you’ve ever seen.
(Remove caps)
For the love of the game,
Not for money, not for fame.
Our hearts belong to base ball,
Forever burns the flame.
Huzzah! Huzzah! For the “_____________”
We’re mighty glad you came.
We tip our caps to base ball
For the love of the game.
Huzzah!
Written by Doug Moonlight Otlewski
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Baseball Fever, Morris, Peter.
Never Just a Game, Burk, Robert
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Email correspondence from Arcidiacono, Dave, 1 December, 2003
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Terminology and Rules13
The word “crank” to describe a fan has no evidence in the 1860s. Dickson’s Baseball Dictionary dates it to the
early 1880s. The only term the 1860s accounts for fans are “audience”, “throng”, and “spectators”.
There is no evidence that players had to ring a tally bell located at a scorer’s table through the 1860s. (The
Grangers will continue to have a tally bell rung but will not disallow a run if it is not rung).
In the mid 19th century, the term “hurler” was not used – that is a 20th century term. We should use the term
“pitcher”.
The term “dead, died, dying” saw use as occasional slang for “out” through the 1860s by sportswriters. It
carried over from players being plugged (killed) by a thrown ball. The term “safe” was not used as a ruling on
the bases in the 1860s. The 1875 Umpires Guide uses the term “not out”.
The “behind” is not a player, but an area of the field. Before fair and foul territory was established the area
“behind” the batsman was in play. When a player was named who played in the behind area, he was called a
catcher. “Catcher” is the term used starting in 1858.
“Tally keeper”, “tally” and “tallyman” was used in the late 1850s and 1860s. The term “scorer” is used
exclusively in the 1860 NABBP rules. Women did not keep score. (We can have fun mentioning the anomaly
of a woman being pressed into service as a scorer).
The term “striker” is frequently used through the 1860s.
The terms “single”, “double”, and “triple” were not used until the 1880s. Instead, players “made their first”,
“reached their second,” or “got to their third”.
“Home run” has been used since the earliest days of base ball.
Nicknames were used in the early 1860s.
Over running first base was not allowed until the 1871 season.
Sliding was clearly being done by the late 1850s. There is no evidence that any player was ever called out if
they slid. Sliding started as soon as “soaking” ended. A slide in vintage base ball was more of a “lunge” and
skill at dodging tags was common.
Basemen playing close to their bags was done more from a strategy standpoint. No rules required it although
period illustrations show basemen playing close to the base. The same is true for playing on the center of the
field for outfielders. No rules required it but illustrations show players in the middle of the fields. At no time
should an umpire stop a game to ask a player to move within their position.
Leading off bases and stealing was not banned by the rules of 1860. Stealing on a muff by the catcher is
consistent with the 1860 rules, however stealing was also done throughout a game at any time.
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To Tally or Not to Tally”, 2002 VBBA Conference, Rhodes, Greg and Husman, John.
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Slow pitching was most likely done by “muffin” squads of inexperienced players. Most teams pitched more
rapidly and provided various speed pitches to batsmen.
Pitcher covering first base was done from the early 1860s but pitchers covered all bases too!
Knicker style uniforms started in 1867. Long pants were still seen in the 1870s. Lettered style caps started in
the 1890s.
First reference to a scoreboard is in 1869. There is little research to indicate when inning by inning accounts of
games started. The Rochester Grangers will continue to utilize their slate boards and keep the scoreboard in
storage until research proves otherwise.
Thin handled bats were not common in the 1860s. Players should use long, thick handled bats.
The fly rule was adopted for the 1865 season. Starting in the late 1860s there were separate rules for “amateur”
and “professional” clubs. Both required the fly catch. Boys may have played by the bound rule however it was
infrequent for adults. Baseball Fever has a citation of a Michigan men’s club showing up at a rival city after
1865 expecting to play by the bound rule and being ridiculed. A foul ball could still be caught on one bound for
an out until a rule change required a foul to be caught on the fly for an out in 1883.
Wages in 1870
It is common practice among many vintage base ball clubs to fine players “a day’s wages” for various on-thefield-infractions (spitting, cursing, etc.) Though the data is sketchy there is some information available from
economic historians:
In 1860, the average daily wage in manufacturing was about $ 1.20.14
In 1866, the average daily wage for farm workers was $0.90 (including room and board) and $ 0.65 (excluding
room and board).15
In a farming community, $ 1.00 a day is a good guess though probably a bit high. Clerical and office workers,
being fairly skilled, would probably have made several dollars a day on average.
Vocabulary
The following list contains some words and phrases that were used in the mid 1800s.
Bully
Dilatory
Dipper
Fetch up
On the square
Overreached
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A word that can be used for almost any occasion - such as good job or charge {Yelling
"Bully!" after a fellow ballist makes a good play}
Tardy, stalling {"Show some ginger and stop being dilatory"}
Tin cup {"Has anyone seen my dipper?"}
Stop suddenly {Yelling "Fetch up" to get a base runner to stop at a base}
To tell the truth {"On the square, I caught the ball on the first bounce"}
Tricked, conned {"Looks like the Eclipse centerfielder overreached Minuteman and
Crusher when he purposely dropped the fly ball"}
Wages and earnings in the United States, 1860-1890 Princeton University Press, 1960, Table A-10, Long, Clarence D.
U.S. Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United States, Washington D.C. Government Printing Office, 1975.
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Sand
Tight Scratch
Hit a corker
Bottled it in style
Howitzer shot
Tame hit
Heavy Hitter
Sent to the grass
Took a back seat
Grabbed the leather
in style
vim
roused his dander
Fearless, nerve {"That first base man has a lot of sand"}
Difficult fight {"This game has become a tight scratch"}
A ball hit like a cork from a wine bottle
A hit being caught
Ball hit hard to the long field
Softly struck ball
Out
Out
well fielded
energy
angered him
A ripping ball hit over the ring of carriages (balls hit hard to the long field)
short field
where a 'Texas leaguer' falls
long field
past the outfielders
given a chance
for a catch
thankfully accepted caught
held the swiftest balls like a vise
stopped in his hands as if it belonged there
fielded prettily to the first base mans trap
given out or just "out" called out when appealed to for judgment
The term "safe" doesn't appear even in the 1875 umpires guide. The term for “safe” in the 1860's would be "not
out" or "given in" if the umpire was asked for judgment.
The term "dead" doesn't appear after the 1840's - 50's...ish.
The term "hurler" for the pitcher doesn't appear until the 20th century.
treble play, double play, one two three
sent to the grass, took a back seat out
Get his second
stole second
put some steam on
a runner getting up to speed
in the highest style of the art
well fielded
pluck and perseverance
guts
hard piece of work cut out for them coming in to bat after giving up a bunch of runs
presented a bold front
rally
get square with their opponents
get some runs back
retrieve their laurels
get some runs back
roused his dander
angered him
showed the whites of his eyes
pitcher 'looking' runner back
his sharp dodge caught him napping
picked the runner off base
chaffing / kicking
complaining
side out
end of their innings / three given out
quiet acquiescence
how to accept a call from the umpire when a request
for judgment is made
country club
A rural ball club of less skilled ballists
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fieldsmen
Whitewashed, skunked
ballists on defense
no ace in their innings, in 1865 the term "ace"
is replaced with "run" in the rule text
Facing for a hit
they would square their shoulders and point their
front toe where they wanted to hit it
Daisy Cutter
hit sharply along the surface of the ground, through the grass, without
rebounding to any extent. It is a hit ball very difficult to field, and,
consequently, shows good batting"
(Due to influences from cricket, this happened with some frequency as the
bottom of the 'zone' of what could be called a strike was "one foot off the
ground" and the strikers would not infrequently use a cricket (golf-like)
swing)
These are terms that can be used amongst ourselves and/or with the spectators.16
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Private Yankee Doodle, Martin, Joseph. Hard Tack and Coffee, 1887 Billings. John, J, Corporal Si Klegg and his Pard, 1887
Hinman, William F., Chadwick's American Game of Base Ball, 1868
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Newspaper sources:
The Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm staff has been researching base ball in Rochester utilizing
the Museum’s collection of the Rochester Era Newspapers. The following pages contain a small sample of the
articles we have identified:
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