[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1050 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1050

 Recognizing Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as being home to the earliest 
 known reference to the word ``baseball'' in the United States as well 
              as being the birthplace of college baseball.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 13, 2008

  Mr. Olver (for himself, Mr. Tierney, Mr. Neal of Massachusetts, Mr. 
  McGovern, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Ms. Tsongas, Mr. Capuano, Mr. 
Lynch, Mr. Delahunt, Mr. Hodes, Ms. Shea-Porter, Mr. Welch of Vermont, 
Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Langevin, Mr. Murphy of 
   Connecticut, Mr. Farr, Mr. Michaud, Mr. Courtney, Mr. Shays, Mr. 
Markey, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Allen, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Mr. 
    Udall of Colorado, and Mr. Tom Davis of Virginia) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Education 
                               and Labor

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as being home to the earliest 
 known reference to the word ``baseball'' in the United States as well 
              as being the birthplace of college baseball.

Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is the home of a historic document discovered 
        in Pittsfield's archives by noted baseball historian John Thorn in 2004;
Whereas the historic document is a bylaw, passed by the Town of Pittsfield, 
        Massachusetts, during a town meeting on September 5, 1791, which states 
        that ``for the Preservation of the Windows in the New Meeting House . . 
        . no Person or Inhabitant of said town, shall be permitted to play at 
        any game called Wicket, Cricket, Baseball, Football, Cat, Fives or any 
        other game or games with balls, within the Distance of Eighty Yards from 
        said Meeting House'';
Whereas this bylaw was created to protect the windows of the new meetinghouse in 
        the Town of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, which is currently the 
        Congregational Church, designed by renowned architect Charles Bulfinch 
        in 1789 and completed in 1793;
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, through the First Home Plate project will 
        commemorate being known as the home of the oldest known documentation of 
        the game by erecting three permanent monuments, Bat, Ball, and Glove, to 
        recognize Pittsfield's unparalleled position in baseball history;
Whereas the monuments will highlight and represent the great virtues of the game 
        that have solidified baseball as our national pastime;
Whereas the virtues of baseball are innocence, youth, bridging generations, and 
        how it parallels the great history of our Nation;
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is also the home of many historical baseball 
        moments;
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is the birthplace of college baseball in the 
        United States as it is the sight of the first intercollegiate baseball 
        game between Amherst College and Williams College, which took place on 
        July 1, 1859;
Whereas in 1865, Ulysses F. ``Frank'' Grant, generally considered the best 
        African American player of the 19th century, was born in Pittsfield, 
        Massachusetts;
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is the home of Wahconah Park, an enclosed 
        ballpark and grandstand, originally built in 1892 and placed on the 
        National Historic Register in June 2005;
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is where in 1921 and 1922, the Boston Red Sox 
        played 2 exhibition games at Wahconah Park against the Hillies;
Whereas Boston won the first game with a score of 10 to 9 and the Hillies won 
        the second with a score of 4 to 1;
Whereas in 1922, Jim Thorpe, considered one of the most versatile athletes in 
        modern sports, played baseball at Wahconah Park;
Whereas in 1924, Lou Gehrig made his professional debut with the Hartford 
        Senators at Wahconah Park, where he hit a home run into the Housatonic 
        River;
Whereas in 1942, future major leaguer Mark Belanger was born in Pittsfield, 
        Massachusetts;
Whereas on June 1, 1976, a recreation of the 1859 Williams and Amherst 
        collegiate baseball game took place in Pittsfield, Massachusetts;
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, hosted a vintage baseball game which was 
        broadcast on national television in 2004;
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 2005, welcomed the Pittsfield Dukes, a 
        member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, who made their 
        second season debut at Wahconah Park in 2005; and
Whereas on August 31, 2007, His Excellency, Deval L. Patrick, Governor of the 
        Commonwealth of Massachusetts, proclaimed September 5, 2007, to be 
        Pittsfield Baseball Day in the Commonwealth: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the importance of college baseball to the 
        Nation; and
            (2) recognizes the birthplace of college baseball as 
        Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
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