303 "Let us Have Base Ball Clubs Organized" -- The Origins of Baseball in Tennessee
History | Registration opens 4/15/25 9:00 AM EDT
While Knoxville has a rich tradition of success on the gridiron, its history of championship titles on the baseball field stretches back to the end of the American Civil War. Dr. Hardy will speak about the first “base ball” (two words in the 19th century) clubs to organize in Knoxville. He will highlight a number of original baseballists who made up the city’s first clubs, many of whom helped rebuild Knoxville following the Civil War and. As political and business leaders; they helped guide the city into the 20th century. Dr. Hardy will share insights into the various personalities of these men who comprised the early clubs, the grounds on which they played, some of the early games, and the 1867 state champion Holston Club of Knoxville. He will discuss how the Knoxville Holstons and Emmett Machinists Vintage Base Ball Clubs, who currently play at the Historic Ramsey House, honor the national game by playing bare-handed Civil War era game by the rules and customs of 1864.
William Hardy
Dr. William E. Hardy is an assistant professor of history and the Lincoln Scholar at Lincoln Memorial University where he specializes in 19th century American history and serves as the Executive Director of the Abraham Lincoln Center for Leadership and Public Policy. He has previously taught at Tennessee Tech University, Chattanooga State Community College, and the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.