The Richland Album: Ball Fields

The Law of Time

This is the law of time: for every hour we go on there is an hour that slips behind, so that for every bit of gain there is equal loss. In order to enter the future we must relinquish the past.

As each generation creates its own new version of America, the old way, the old style, passes into history; and as each wave of people takes the stage to witness a particular and unique new story, so it watches the putting away of sets and scenery and props from the play just concluded.

This series of photo essays takes a look at landmarks from the past that were once common and familiar components of the landscape to Richland County residents long since passed on. Folks 150 years ago couldn’t really imagine a county without covered bridges, hitching posts, and livery stables.

Today the only way you have to picture these sights is with our virtual Richland Album.

This collection of images from the virtual album features Baseball Fields of Richland County.

About 100 years ago the fabric of life in Richland County was stitched together with elements of community that are not such common threads today. One of these was baseball.

Back then it was called the National Game because it touched the lives of everybody in the community, and it served to tie all communities to one another.

We really have nothing like that today that compares in cultural presence. We have sports — lots of sports — but no national game that serves to unify all ends of the community spectrum.

Back then every town and village and crossroad had a baseball field.

During the summer months it was the place toward which folks gravitated when shouting echoed off the barns, through the streets.

Fortunately for us today, someone back then took a camera to the noise and captured the fleeting moment for all time.