The ballpark
The name of the 1896 Ansonia Blues' home minor league ballpark is not referenced. [13]
| Ansonia Blues | |
|---|---|
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Class | Independent (1896) |
| League | Naugatuck Valley League (1896) |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Team | None |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles (0) | None |
| Team data | |
| Name | Ansonia Blues (1896) |
| Ballpark | Unknown (1896) |
The Ansonia Blues were a minor league baseball team based in Ansonia, Connecticut. In 1896, the a Blues played as members of the Independent level Naugatuck Valley League. The Ansonia Blues were preceded in Ansonia by the Ansonia Cuban Giants.
The Ansonia "Blues" became members of the Independent level Naugatuck Valley League in 1896. Formed for the 1896 season, with league founder Jim O'Rourke helping organize the league teams, Ansonia and the Naugatuck Valley League teams began play on May 6, 1896, as a six–team league. [1] [2] [3] [4]
A Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Jim O'Rourke was owner/player/manager for the Bridgeport team, and was instrumental in forming both the Bridgeport franchise and the league members themselves after returning to his hometown of Bridgeport upon ending his major league career. [5] [6] [7] [2]
As the Ansonia Blues began play with Naugatuck Valley League in 1896, the other charter members were the Bridgeport Victors from Bridgeport, Connecticut, the Derby Angels from Derby, Connecticut, the New Haven Edgewoods from New Haven, Connecticut, the Torrington Tornadoes from Torrington, Connecticut and Winsted Welcomes from Winsted, Connecticut. Some references refer to the 1896 team as the "Antonia Welcomes." [8] [4]
The Ansonia Blues finished the 1896 season in 6th place, placing last in the six–team league, while playing the season under manager Thomas Houlihan. The final Naugatuck Valley League standings were led by the 1st place Bridgeport Victors with a 25–15 record. Bridgeport finished 1.0 games ahead of the 2nd place Torrington Tornados (24–17), followed by the Derby Angels (22–18), New Haven Edgewoods (22–18), Winsted Welcomes (15–25) and Ansonia Blues (12–28). Ansonia finished 13.0 games behind Bridgeport in the final standings. [8] [9]
After the 1896 season, with Jim O'Rourke still organizing the league, four Naugatuck Valley League teams continued play as members of the renamed 1897 Connecticut League. The Bridgeport, Derby, Torrington and Winstead teams continued play, adding Bristol and Meriden teams. The Ansonia franchise did not continue play in the new league. [8] [2]
Previously, Ansonia had hosted the Ansonia Cuban Giants who integrated the Connecticut State League, playing in the 1888 and 1891 seasons. [9] [10] [11]
Ansonia, Connecticut has not hosted another minor league team. [12]
The name of the 1896 Ansonia Blues' home minor league ballpark is not referenced. [13]
| Year(s) | # Yrs. | Team | Level | League |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888, 1891 | 2 | Ansonia Cuban Giants | Independent | Connecticut State League |
| 1896 | 1 | Ansonia Blues | Naugatuck Valley League |
| Year | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | 12–28 | 6th | Thomas Houlihan | None held |
James Henry O'Rourke, nicknamed "Orator Jim", was an American professional baseball player in the National Association and Major League Baseball who played primarily as a left fielder. For the period 1876–1892, he ranks behind only Cap Anson in career major league games played (1,644), hits (2,146), at-bats (6,884), doubles (392) and total bases (2,936), and behind only Harry Stovey in runs scored (1,370).
Founded in 1996, the Naugatuck Railroad is a common carrier railroad owned by the Railroad Museum of New England and operated by Naugatuck Railroad on tracks leased by Naugatuck Railroad from the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The original Naugatuck Railroad was a railroad chartered to operate through south central Connecticut in 1845, with the first section opening for service in 1849. In 1887 the line was leased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, and became wholly owned by 1906. At its greatest extent the Naugatuck ran from Bridgeport north to Winsted. Today's Naugatuck Railroad runs from Waterbury to the end of track in Torrington, Connecticut. From Waterbury south to the New Haven Line, Metro-North Railroad operates commuter service on the Waterbury Branch.
The Waterbury Branch is a branch of the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line, running north from a junction in the Devon section of Milford to Waterbury, Connecticut. Originally built as the Naugatuck Railroad, it once continued north to Winsted. The part north of Waterbury is now leased from CDOT by the Railroad Museum of New England, which operates excursion trains from Thomaston station through their operating subsidiary Naugatuck Railroad ; this name was chosen in homage of the original railroad. The trackage ends in Torrington, but Metro-North service on the branch ends at Waterbury. There are conceptual plans to extend service from its current terminus in Waterbury to Hartford via Bristol and New Britain. Currently, riders that want to continue to New Britain and Hartford have to transfer to an express bus operated by CTtransit at Waterbury. All trains on this branch operate as shuttles between Waterbury and Bridgeport. The Waterbury Branch currently uses 2 trains to run up and down the branch simultaneously providing 22 daily trips on the branch with large turnaround times sometimes consisting of 90 minutes or more, this will be revised to add additional trains once ridership allows. All platforms currently consist of low-level platforms with the exception of the terminal stations being Bridgeport and Waterbury. A new station consisting of a high-level platform at Derby-Shelton is currently awaiting construction while new station plans at Ansonia, Seymour, Beacon Falls, and Naugatuck are currently awaiting designs and funding.
Route 8 is a 67.36-mile (108.41 km) state highway in Connecticut that runs north–south from Bridgeport, through Waterbury, all the way to the Massachusetts state line where it continues as Massachusetts Route 8. Most of the highway is a four-lane freeway but the northernmost 8.8 miles (14.2 km) is a two-lane surface road.
The Connecticut League, also known as the Connecticut State League, was a professional baseball association of teams in the state of Connecticut. The league began as offshoot of the original Connecticut State League, which dates back as far as 1884. In 1891, the Connecticut State League included the Ansonia Cuban Giants, a team made up of entirely African-American ballplayers, including future Hall of Famers Frank Grant and Sol White. In 1902, it was a Class D league with teams in eight cities. In 1905, the league became Class B, which lasted until 1913, when the league became the Eastern Association due to several teams outside of the state entering the league. Also a Class B league, it survived two more seasons, then folded after the 1914 season.
Naugatuck High School is a public high school in Naugatuck, New Haven County, Connecticut, US.
James Stephen "Queenie" O'Rourke was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball for the New York Highlanders in 1908, primarily as a left fielder and shortstop.
The Eastern Association was a minor league baseball league. The first version of the league appeared in 1882, followed by similar one season leagues in 1891 and 1909 with teams in Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. The league was a Class B level league in the 1913 and 1914 seasons, with teams based in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
East Litchfield is an unincorporated village in the town of Litchfield, Litchfield County, Connecticut.
Several minor league baseball teams have played in Bridgeport, Connecticut from 1885 to the present day.
The Stamford Pioneers were a minor league baseball team based in Stamford, Connecticut. From 1947 to 1949, Stamford teams played as members of the Class B level Colonial League, winning the 1947 championship with an integrated roster in the era of segregated baseball. The Pioneers were preceded by the 1947 Stamford Bombers, with the teams hosting minor league home games at Mitchell Stadium.
The Torrington Braves were a short–lived minor league baseball team based in Torrington, Connecticut in 1950. The Braves played as members of the Class B level 1950 Colonial League, which permanently folded during the 1950 season, with the Braves in 4th place.
The Torrington Tornadoes were a minor league baseball team based in Torrington, Connecticut. Torrington played the 1896 season as members of the Independent level Naugatuck Valley League, followed the next season by the 1897 Torrington Demons, playing in the Class F level Connecticut League.
The Winsted Welcomes were a minor league baseball team based in Winsted, Connecticut. The Winsted Welcomes played the 1896 season as members of the Independent level Naugatuck Valley League.
Robert W. Hill was an American architect from Waterbury, Connecticut. He was one of Connecticut's most important 19th century architects.
The Philadelphia Athletics was the primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The minor league Philadelphia teams played various seasons in Philadelphia between 1877 and 1900.
The Naugatuck Valley League was a minor league baseball league that played in the 1896 season. The Non-Signatory Independent level league consisted of franchises based exclusively in Connecticut. The six–team league evolved into the 1897 Connecticut League.
The Kokomo Wild Cats was the only known moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Kokomo, Indiana between 1890 and 1909. Kokomo teams played as members of the Indiana State League in 1890, 1896 and 1900, the Indiana–Illinois League in 1899, Ohio-Indiana League in 1907 and Northern State of Indiana League in 1909.
The Kansas City Blues was the primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Kansas City, Missouri between 1885 and 1901. The Kansas City minor league teams played as members of the Class A level Western League in 1885 and 1887, the Western Association in 1888, 1890 and 1891, Western League in 1892, Western Association in 1893 and Western League from 1894 to 1899. The Blues transitioned to the American League in 1900, a year before the league became a major league, before returning to the Western League in 1901. The American League Blues evolved into today's Minnesota Twins. The minor league team played under the "Cowboys" moniker in 1885, 1887 and 1894. The Kansas City Blues/Cowboys played home games at Exposition Park.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)