History, Heritage, & Traditions in Western Wicomico County

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Also in Mardela Springs, Maryland is a collection of nine buildings owned and operated by the non-profit corporation, of the same name. Several buildings have been moved on to the site, including an early 19th century farm house, a one-room school, and a general store, which originally was in the town. Also on the site is the town's early 20th century Lodge Hall, a livery stable, two sheds now converted to exhibit space, and a building which served as a cannery at one time and now housses exhibits about the town's early commercial life. An early 1900's Victorian style home has recently been renovated and also is open to visitors. The complex is open by appointment. For more information regarding tours visit www.adkinsmuseum.com/tours

In 1893 the village of Barren Creek Springs changed it's name to Mardela Springs. The change was mostly economically motivated. The railroad had arrived in town in 1890 and several businessmen saw the chance to expand the market for the town's bottled mineral water. Fearing city consumers would shy away from "Creek Water" they suggested changing the town's name to the new combination of Maryland and Delaware - Mardela Springs. Many residents objected but were outvoted and the town has been Mardela Springs ever since.

Edward Austin, an enterprising citizen, in the 1890's built a small structure beside the spring house, in which they bottled the water and then shipped cases of it, by rail throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. After the old hotel burned in 1913, Austin's son built a new building on the site, operated it as a bed and breakfast, and continued to ship the water. But, the Great Depression hit hard and tourism, as well as the bottled water business, soon came to an end. In 1946 the entire property was sold and the new owner made extensive repairs to the house and spring house. Most visible was the application of a brick veneer to both buildings, so that today the spring house has no vestige of its original Victorian appearance. He also created a separate deed for the spring house and property on which it sat, and tore down the remains of the bottling plant. Later, the properties passed to his relative who wished that the spring house be preserved as an important piece of history of this area. Accordingly, they made the donation to Westside Historical Society in Spring of 2002, and it was dedicated on July 15, 2002. Today, the spring still runs, but the water is not potable. A brief rest in the coolness of the spring house harkens back to a quieter, less hectic lifestyle.

The Puckamees, were part of the larger Native-American Nanticoke “empire.” Their villages along the River and Creek continue to yield evidence of their presence. When John Smith sailed up the River in 1608 it was almost surely a band of Puckamees who attacked him from the mouth of Barren Creek. For the most part they were peaceful neighbors of the European families who continued to come and settle land with access to the waterways. They were hunters, fishermen, and trappers chiefly, living in “long houses” and making arrow shafts from the reeds of the marshes. For a brief period in the late 1600s the colonial Maryland Assembly attempted to confine them to a reservation stretching roughly from the mouth of Barren Creek north to the present village of Riverton, but by that time their numbers were decreasing as many chose to move into Delaware or north. Many eventually reached Canada and some even joined the mid-West Plains tribes. By the mid-1700s very few were left, but their names and even some of their skills live on. The village that started as Barren Creek Springs was so named because of the many mineral-rich springs in the area. Reportedly valued by the Indians for its health-giving properties, the white settlers quickly began drinking from them as well.

There were other reasons for a village to grow there. The tobacco warehouse became a center of some commerce; a ferry across the creek near the high ground on which the warehouse sat encouraged early trade. The Creek itself, like so many other creeks emptying into the River was a source of commerce. When dammed, the potential power created for grist mills and saw mills was impressive. At one time, as many as twelve such water-powered mills worked on the banks of Barren Creek, and more on other creeks. As local farmers turned more to grain – corn, rye, wheat, some buckwheat and oats – from the unstable tobacco market, the miller became more and more important in the local economy. The dams themselves became another factor in the town’s growth. Colonial laws required dams be wide enough to serve as roadways, and as highways became more important as post roads and other land links, a crude highway system evolved. The village at Barren Creek Springs had the good fortune to be at the spot where the main road from the north turned south and southeast to lead to the Somerset County seat of Princess Anne, and at the point where fresh horses and an inn were needed for the weary traveler. Hence, a Hotel was built in the village about the time of the Revolutionary War, and only yards away from one of the biggest springs.

Welcome to Vintage Baseball 

Baseball as most Americans know it today, evolved from the game played in the 1830s and1840s in New York City. Though some dispute it, many believe it was “invented” by Abner Doubleday, later a general in the U.S. Army. But it is generally conceded that Alexander Cartwright is the father of organized baseball, having written a set of organized rules for play when he started the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club in 1845. This club was the first of its kind – a club whose only purpose was playing baseball. The Civil War helped spread baseball throughout the country; Union soldiers, familiar with the New York origins, playe in their spare time. Confederate prisoners watched, and began to copy them. Soon after the war, baseball was being played in villages, country fields, cities—all over the nation. 

This is the kind of baseball you will see played today – now known as Vintage Base Ball, not just a competitive game, but also a reenactment of baseball life from the American Civil War era. The uniforms, equipment, even styles and speech are from that era. Even the name is “Base Ball.” Players are especially proud that the game is played for fun and exercise by ladies and gentlemen, rather than for the profit-driven motives of many owners of today’s club owners. 

There is continuous debate about such points of play as how frequently runners would steal bases, when sliding first became common and what it might have looked like, how strikers would hold or swing the bat, how the umpire’s authority evolved, and how players would have conducted themselves on the field. One commonly held interpretation is that game play was marked by a spirit of gentlemanly sportsmanship. Modern vintage ballists will often observe this custom through friendly gestures such as cheering good plays made by opposing players, assisting umpires with making calls at bases, and conducting organized cheers for opposing teams (and often for the umpire and “cranks”, or fans) at the conclusion of a match. Hence, one notices the politeness and sportsmanship observed in these games, more in keeping with the early days of baseball, which was considered a “gentleman’s game”. As the game became more professional in the 

1870s and money (and thus winning) became a primary motivator,      

the 19th century game became marked by rough play and cheating, which was relatively easy to accomplish, due to the lone umpire who might fail to see such infractions. 

How vintage base ball is different .... The rules of the game 

First, a base ball field is just that – a field, with the diamond shape laid out on a field of grass. There might be a tree or a building out in the garden (outfield), but no manicured infields to eliminate an errant hop of the base ball. In the vintage game, a ballists’s skills are truly tested. There are typically no fences on the field. 

Second, the pitcher’s intent is to throw the ball across the plate so that the striker (batter) may hit it. The throwing of speedballs or the deceitful curve ball shall result in a swift 25¢ fine from the umpire. How can ballists have fun and exercise if they cannot hit the ball and run the bases? The more they hit the ball and run the bases; the more times runners tally (score)! 

Third, the striker is “dead” (out) if the ball is caught on the fly or upon one bound off the ground. The vintage game is played the way base ball was intended to be played – bare-handed. Caps or objects of clothing may not be used to catch the ball. Since fielding gloves and other equipment were not commonly utilized until the 1890s, the enormous leather mittens worn by modern namby-pamby ballists are not allowed! 

Other striking differences.... 

• No base coaches are permitted within the playing area. Players and captains may offer their teammates advice and direction from the bench at any time.
   
• Foul balls do not count as strikes.
   
• Balls caught in the air on the single bound are considered outs.
   
• Foul tics caught either in the air or on the first bound by the
  catcher are considered outs.
   
• On foul balls, the ball must be returned to the pitcher, and then
  outs can be made by getting the ball to the base to which a runner
  is returning, before the runner arrives. The pitcher need not wait
  for the foul return in the pitcher’s normal position.
        
• A fair ball is a batted ball that first touches the ground, a player or any object within fair territory (i.e. – inside the lines extending from home base through first and third bases.)
   
• A runner cannot advance or score on a caught foul ball. The runner can advance once the caught foul ball is returned to the pitcher.
   
• There is no over-running of first base. If a striker running to first runs off of the bag, he is then considered a baserunner and may be tagged out. Often you will see players sliding into first base. Runners also may be tagged out if they overrun second or third base.
   
• When a ball is caught on the bound (one bounce) the batter is out. For the other baserunners, catching the ball on the bound allows them to advance in the same way as a ground ball.
   
• If the pitcher does not deliver hittable pitches to the striker, the umpire may warn the pitcher and then call balls on subsequent undesirable pitches. Pitchers throw under-handed from 45’, and must stand between two lines 12’ wide and 3’ apart to deliver the ball.
   
• If the striker does not attempt to hit good pitches, the umpire may warn the striker and then call strikes on subsequent good pitches.
   
• After the umpire calls a third ball, the striker and all runners advance, even if not forced from a base.
   
• While at the bat, the striker’s feet must not both go behind or in front of the line drawn through the center of the home base. This line extends 3 feet from either side of home base.
   
• The first striker of an inning is the player who follows the runner/striker who made the last out of the previous inning.
   
• If a striker is hit with the ball, he does not take base.
   
• A ball is considered fair if it touches fair territory at any time, even
  if it bounces immediately foul.
   
• Balls can be caught off of trees as they are considered air. When a
  ball hits objects that are manmade (such as a shed!) the ball is
  considered dead and play stops.
   
• Only the team captain may dispute an umpire’s call.
       

The Equipment 

The ball used in vintage baseball is slightly larger than a modern baseball, but is also softer and stitched in a different pattern. Since the same ball is used for an entire game, it tends to soften as the game is played. Gloves, mitts, and other protective equipment didn’t make an appearance until the 1870s and weren’t commonly used until the 1880s. 

Bats tend to be slightly longer and heavier than those used in today’s game. 

Language 

Prior to the match, interpreters may offer an overview of the rules of 1864. Fans participate in a match by learning appropriate cheers. Not since the Civil War have local folks heard so many shouts of “Huzzah! The striker is dead,” and “well fielded sir!” echoing across Delmarva!! 

Some new terms you might need to learn : 

Ace or Tally – run; crossing home base Apple, Pill, Horsehide, Onion – the ball Artist – proficient player
Baller, Ballist – player 

Basetender – an infielder
Bench – manager or coach
Blind – no score
Blooper, banjo hit – weak fly ball, “Texas leaguer” Boodler – ungentlemanly maneuver 

Bound – bounce
Bowler, hurler, thrower, feeder – pitcher
Bug bruiser – sharp grounder
Club, Nine – team
Cranks (or Throng) – fans
Daisy Cutter – sharp grounder
Dead or Hand Dead, Hand down – put out or batter out Dew Drop – slow pitch
Dish – home plate 

Four Baser – home run Garden – outfield
Ginger – enthusiastic play Ground – field 

Hands – outs
Huzzah! – hooray
Leg it – Run swiftly
Match – game
Midfielder – center fielder
Muckle – power hitter
Muff or Duff – error
Muffin – enthusiastic but unskilled player
Muffin matches – game level that gave everyone a chance to play Muffin nine – not as good even as Second Nines
Pitcher’s Point – pitchers mound or rugger
Player Dead – out
Pluck – fine strike or play
Plugging (or Soaking) the Runner – throwing the ball at runner to put 

him out (illegal after 1845)
Rover – shortstop
Sack tenders – infielders
Second none – not as good as the best Show a little ginger – play harder or smarter Sky Ball, Skyer – flyer 

Sky scraper – a high Pop Fly Spectators’ area – bullpen
Stinger – hard hit ball
Stir your stumps – run fast / hustle Striker – hitter 

Striker to the line – batter up
Talleykeeper – scorekeeper
Three Hands Dead – 3 outs, side retired
Whitewash – team held scoreless for a match or at-bat Willow – bat