The Philadelphia Pythians (also Pythian Base Ball Club, Pythian Baseball Club, or the "Pyths") was one of the earliest

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

clubs, founded in 1865. African-American leaders Jacob C. White Jr. and

Octavius V. Catto Octavius Valentine Catto (February 22, 1839 – October 10, 1871) was an educator, intellectual, and civil rights activist in Philadelphia. He became principal of male students at the Institute for Colored Youth, where he had also been educate ...

established the team. The Pythians were composed of primarily business and middle class professionals from the surrounding areas of Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City. Just two years after the Civil War ended, in 1867, the Pennsylvania State Convention of Baseball, located in Harrisburg, denied the "Pythian Base Ball Club" out of Philadelphia. The team dissolved after Catto's death in 1871 and a new team formed under the Pythian name in the National Colored Base Ball League in 1887. The new team's first season went 4–1. However, due to financial troubles, the team folded after only one season.

Founders

and Jacob C. White, two graduates from the Institute for Colored Youth, believed baseball was another way in which African Americans could assert their skills and independence, and prove their right to full citizenship and equality. Incidentally the two had originally played

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

at the institute, but switched to baseball for an unknown reason. They had been childhood friends and they emerged as prominent figures in Philadelphia's African American community. Catto injected himself into local politics with the hope of aiding black civil liberties and led efforts to gain equality and equal access to public programs. This continued until Catto's murder at the hands of Frank Kelly in 1871. Prior to the American Civil War, professional baseball has been denied to African Americans. Black leaders considered baseball a route to American cultural assimilation, and following the Civil War, Negro baseball grew exponentially. Octavius Catto pioneered the racial shift in baseball. Many of the players were also Institute for Colored Youth graduates. These men belonged to the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

fraternal organization, which helped pay for baseball supplies. A third, lesser-known founding member was William Still. Still was a local coal dealer and civil rights activist; this played into the Pythians' idea of using the baseball to achieve equality.

History

The team was originally known as the Independent Ball Club, a team of the Institute for Colored Youth. Due to the number members who belonged to the Knights of Pythias, the team was renamed the Pythians. The first full season took place in 1867 under Catto's leadership. Their first game was played at Diamond Cottage Park in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

, because the team could not gain access to the Parade Grounds at 11th and Wharton in Philadelphia. The team played their home games at

Fairmount Park Fairmount Park is the largest municipal park in Philadelphia and the historic name for a group of parks located throughout the city. Fairmount Park consists of two park sections named East Park and West Park, divided by the Schuylkill River, with ...

, but used Liberty Hall of the Institute for Colored Youth as their club house. This is where the team met to socialize and plan game strategies. The Pythians believed that credibility and acceptance could be promoted by competing against "our white brethren" on a baseball diamond.Jerrold Casway (2007)
Octavius Catto and the Pythians of Philadelphia
''Pennsylvania Legacies'' 7.1. pp. 5-9. In September 1869, the Pythians played against the all white Olympics; likely the first recorded instance of an interracial baseball game. Although the Pythians lost 44–23, the September 4th edition of the '' Philadelphia Inquirer'' covered the game inning for inning, noting the skill of the Pythians as well as the large size of the crowd. A few days later the Pythians played and beat the all-white Philadelphia City Items; a historic victory that Catto hoped would prove the capability of African Americans. These game were successful in drawing large crowds and praise from news outlets for the Pythians' respectable play. In the years following the number of games per season was greatly reduced. This was in part due to raising racial tensions. The passage of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870 led to the assassination of Catto during the election of 1871. The team was unable to continue its efforts without its charismatic leader and folded shortly after.

Players and schedule (1868)

The 1868 season was the most notable for the Pythians. Records of the team's undefeated season show the player roster and the schedule. The team had three separate lineups, also known as a "nine". A handwritten copy of the 1868 roster reveals the players for each lineup. The schedule also shows their non-league games and scores. First Nine: Jefferson Cavens (First Basemen), John Cannon (Pitcher), Frank J.R. Jones (Third Basemen), John Graham (Outfielder/Catcher), James Sparrow (Shortstop), Spencer Hanly (Outfielder/Catcher), Joshua Adkins (Third Basemen), Octavius V. Catto (Second Baseman/Shortstop/Captain) Second Nine: Raymond J. Burr, Andrew J. Jones, Frederick Walker, Richard E.F., David Knight, Edwin C. Vidal, Charles M. Thomas, James Ash, Henry Price, James Jenkins Third Nine John H. Davis, Joseph J. Minton, William T. Jones, Jacob C. White, Jr., Harry Francis, Edward M. Bassett, William H. Minton, Henry Boyer, Thomas Jones, Jacob R. Ballard, Thaddeus Manning 1868 Schedule ''Note: The team names are as they appear on the handwritten schedule. Furthermore, baseball games at this time could also end in a tie.''

Formalization of the color line

The Pythians were refused membership in the National Association of Base Ball Players based on their race. Although the Pythians were nominated for membership by the vice-president of the Athletics ball club, E. Hicks Hayhurst, the NABBP banned "the admission of any club which may be composed of one or more colored persons." The association feared divisions among players if colored clubs were admitted. The ultimate reason the NABBP rejected Pythians has been debated by historians. Most scholars attribute it as racism on the part of the NABBP. Others have cited at this is an oversimplification and that the reason could have been a fear of controversy for admitting a negro team or for financial reasons. Ultimately, this set the precedent for segregated Major Leagues and independent leagues which continued into the twentieth century. Therefore, the club was the first to attempt to integrate African American males into a segregated baseball league. By 1871, the NABBP dissolved and the team was no longer restricted by its rules. Ultimately the U.S. Supreme Court made the decision to sanction racial segregation in United States including baseball, through its 1896 '' Plessy v. Ferguson'' decision.

References

External links

Tasting Freedom: The Life of Octavius V. Catto
{{Negro League teams, Independent Negro league baseball teams Baseball teams established in 1865 Defunct sports teams in Philadelphia Defunct sports teams in Pennsylvania Sports in Philadelphia 1865 establishments in Pennsylvania 1871 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Baseball teams disestablished in 1871 Professional baseball teams in Pennsylvania Defunct baseball teams in Pennsylvania Knights of Pythias