The Oskaloosa Quakers were a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team based in

Oskaloosa, Iowa Oskaloosa is a List of cities in Iowa, city in, and the county seat of, Mahaska County, Iowa. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Oskaloosa was a national center of bituminous coal mining. The population was 11,558 in the 2020 U ...

. From 1904 to 1908, the "Quakers" played as members of two Class D level leagues; the

Iowa State League The Iowa State League was a minor league baseball league that played from 1904 to 1907 and again in 1912. The Class D (baseball), Class D level league had franchises based in Illinois and Iowa. The Ottumwa Snappers franchise won league championship ...

from 1904 to 1907 and the 1908

Central Association The Central Association was an American minor league baseball league. The Central Association began play in 1908, evolving from the 1907 Iowa State League. The Central Association played continuously through 1917 before folding. The league reforme ...

. The Quakers were the only minor league team hosted in Oskaloosa.

History

The 1904 Oskaloosa Quakers began minor league baseball play as charter members of the eight–team, Class D level

. The league was formally known as the "Iowa League of Professional Baseball Clubs." The Boone Coal Miners, Burlington River Rats, Fort Dodge Gypsum Eaters,

Keokuk Indians The Keokuk Indians were a minor league baseball team based in Keokuk, Iowa. The "Indians" played as members of various minor leagues between 1904 and 1935. Keokuk minor league teams played under other nicknames in the era. The 1875 Keokuk Weste ...

, Marshalltown Grays, Ottumwa Standpatters and

Waterloo Microbes The Waterloo Microbes were a minor league baseball team based in Waterloo, Iowa. The "Microbes" played as members of the Class D level Iowa State League from 1904 to 1907, winning the 1907 league championship. After beginning minor league play as ...

joined Oskaloosa as charter members. The Oskaloosa use of the "Quakers" derives from local culture and history.

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

roots are strong in Oskaloosa, as the local

William Penn University William Penn University is a private university in Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States. It was founded by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1873 as Penn College. In 1933, the name was changed to William Penn College, and fina ...

was founded by the Quaker based Religious Society of Friends in 1873. The 1904 Oskaloosa Quakers finished their first season of play with record of 38–69, placing seventh in the eight–team Iowa State League. The Oskaloosa managers were William Filley and

Red Donahue Francis Rostell "Red" Donahue (January 23, 1873 – August 25, 1913) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher from Waterbury, Connecticut, who played for 13 seasons both in the National League and the American League from through . Career ...

. The Quakers had total home season attendance of 16,620, an average of 311 per game. The 1904 Iowa State League inaugural standings were led by the Ottumwa Snappers (70–36), followed by the Waterloo Microbes (64–43), Marshalltown Grays (60–49) Keokuk Indians (58–50), Ft. Dodge Gypsum Eaters (57–52, Boone Coal Miners (50–61), Oskaloosa Quakers (38–69) and Burlington River Rats (36–73). Oskaloosa finished 32.5 games behind the first place

Ottumwa Snappers Ottumwa may refer to: * Ottumwa, Iowa * Ottumwa, Kansas * Ottumwa, South Dakota Ottumwa is an unincorporated hamlet in Haakon County, in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Only three homes and a farm are located there; no businesses or services. ...

. Continuing play in 1905, Oskaloosa placed fourth in the Iowa State League final standings, finishing 10.0 games behind the first place Ottumwa Snappers. Playing under manager Howdy Cassiboinehe, the Quakers had a record of 65–56. The home attendance for the 1905 season was 23,256. The 1906 Oskaloosa Quakers were runners–up in the Iowa State League standings. With a record of 75–49, Oskaloosa placed second in the eight–team Iowa State League, ending the season 9.0 games behind the champion Burlington Pathfinders. The Quakers were managed by Ham Patterson in 1906. On September 16, 1906, the Quakers' Fred Steele pitched a no–hitter against the

, as Oskaloosa won the game 1–0. In the 1907 Iowa State League standings, Oskaloosa finished in third place. The league would change names after the 1907 season. Managed again by Ham Peterson, the Oskaloosa Quakers ended the season with a 70–55 record, finishing 9.5 games behind the Iowa State League champion Waterloo Cubs. The 1907 Oskaloosa season home attendance was 22,585. The Oskaloosa Quakers played their final season in 1908. Before the 1908 season, the Iowa State League changed its name to the

, remaining as a Class D level league with eight teams, seven of whom had played in the Iowa State League. The Quakers finished with a 1908 final regular season record of 51–75. Oskaloosa placed sixth in the Central Association League standings. Playing the season under managers Snapper Kennedy and Tay Kensel, the Quakers finished 37.5 games behind the first place

Waterloo Lulus Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia *Waterloo, New South Wales ...

. Following the 1908 season, the Oskaloosa franchise folded. Oskaloosa was replaced by the

Hannibal Cannibals Hannibal (; ; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. Hannibal's father, Hamilcar Barca, was a lead ...

in the 1909 Central Association. Oskaloosa, Iowa has not hosted another minor league team.

The ballpark

The name of the Oskaloosa Quakers' home minor league ballpark name is not known. The Edmundson Park site and the current Keating Jaycee Park were both in existence during the era. Today, Keating Jaycee Park is located at the intersection of South I Street and 4th Avenue West, Oskaloosa, Iowa.

Timeline

Year-by-year records

Notable alumni

* Paddy Baumann (1908) * Dad Clarke (1905) *

(1904, MGR) * Red Fischer (1907–1908) * Jesse Hoffmeister (1906) * Tom Hess (1905) * Snapper Kennedy (1908, MGR) *

Maury Kent Maurice Allen Kent (September 17, 1885 – April 19, 1966) was a collegiate head coach in three different sports. He coached baseball at Iowa, Wisconsin, Iowa State and Northwestern between 1908 and 1943. Kent was the head basketball coach at I ...

(1908) * Wally Mattick (1906–1907) * Ham Patterson (1904–1907, MGR) *

Clay Perry Clair Willard Perry (1887–1961), called Clay Perry, was an American writer and outdoorsman. He coined the term " spelunker". Biography Born in 1887 in Waupaca, Wisconsin, Perry moved to western Massachusetts as a young man. A novelist, short st ...

(1905) * Jim Scott (1907) * Joe Zalusky (1904) *

Oskaloosa Quakers players Oskaloosa may refer to a place in the United States: *Oskaloosa, Iowa *Oskaloosa, Kansas Oskaloosa is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,110. Hist ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Oskaloosa - Baseball Reference
Defunct minor league baseball teams Professional baseball teams in Iowa Defunct baseball teams in Iowa Baseball teams established in 1904 Baseball teams disestablished in 1908 Oskaloosa, Iowa Central Association teams Iowa State League teams