Ontario County: The Golden Age of Railroads and Baseball

Ontario County: The Golden Age of Railroads and Baseball depicts much of Manchester, New York’s, World War I and Depression-era history. Located among the finger lakes in Ontario County, Manchester is renowned for having once been home to the world’s largest freight transfer yard. The Lehigh Valley Railroad provided the main source of employment for early Irish, Italian, and Syrian immigrants, as well as for many women in the community. In Manchester’s heyday, attending Industrial League baseball games was a Sunday tradition for residents. The Manchester Railroaders, a semi-professional team, was one of the top teams in the Northeastern United States, playing such worthy opponents as the Brooklyn Bushwicks, the Bronx Giants, the Buffalo Bisons, the Rochester Kay Pee’s, the Syracuse Brownlites, the Toronto Leafs, the Sayre Colemans, and the Elmira Artics. This visual tour highlights the achievements of such athletes as Brooklyn native Bill Segbers, who brought his Ebbett’s Field experience to Manchester, and Johnny Boardman, who played against Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees in a 1923 exhibition game. Rare views of the great train disaster of 1911–the day no games were played–are also included in this fascinating new volume.