Early Industrial Leagues Baseball - "Work or Fight"
 

Let’s see some relics from early Industrial League baseball…post anything you have. I’ll start…

First a HUGE thank you to Murph (TUM31) for sending me the lead on this item when he saw the listing and thought I may have interest.

This is a silver plated pocket knife celebrating the 1918 Northeast Manufactures League Champions, with detailed baseball design.

The Northeast Manufactures League was an 8 team Industrial Baseball League that existed from 1917 to 1920. It was part of the famed Industrial Leagues that organized around the Philadelphia area on the onset of WWI. The most well know Leagues from that group were the Delaware River Ship Building League, and the Bethlehem Steel League. Both leagues, along with other Industrial Leagues around Philadelphia and Boston areas, gained notoriety for utilizing the services of Major League ballplayers who garnered criticism for playing for these teams in order to dodge the WWI draft.

http://antiquesportscollector.com/images/knife01.jpg

It would seem possible that teams from the Northeast Manufactures League could have employed the services of Major League players too.

Based on the 1918 final standings for the League, it appears the champions were the Frankford Arsenal “Bullet Makers”.

1918 Northeast Manufactures League teams:

• Fayette R. Plumb (cast steel tools maker)
• Frankford Arsenal (ammunitions)
• Blumenthal, replaced by Schwarz Wheel in mid-season. (auto and truck wheels)
• Quaker City (rubber company)
• E.H. Fitler (cordage works)
• Abrasive Company (grinding wheels manufacturer)
• Frankford Laundry
• Super Glass (auto safety glass)

http://antiquesportscollector.com/images/NEBB07b.png


Standings for the Delaware Ship League, Bethlehem Steel League, Northeast Manufactures League, and other Philadelphia area leagues.
Here is a very interesting article where the issue of professional players is described:

http://antiquesportscollector.com/images/NEBBjul22.png


Every Monday, throughout the 1918 season, the Philadelphia Evening Public Ledger would chronicle the latest on the Minor League industrial teams.

http://antiquesportscollector.com/images/NEBBaug15.png
http://antiquesportscollector.com/images/NEBB03b.png
http://antiquesportscollector.com/images/NEBBaug17.png

a couple people asked me to post a larger pic of the article with content about the "Work or Fight" edict....it's very interesting.

In May 1918, the Selective Service Division issued a "Work or Fight" edict. Able-bodied men, including major-league ballplayers, had either to work in an essential industry or face the draft.

http://antiquesportscollector.com/WorkFightArticle.png

Hi Joe,
I will help out a little dont have much in industrial baseball items but this nice pin for the 1927 industrial baseball league...

Industrial Leagues
 

Joe glad you picked up that item, so the N E actually stands for North East as opposed to New England, good information. Picked up a couple Joe Jackson scrapbook pages a while back. Enclosed is the link to one of them with the left page containing a letter and a VERY interesting cartoon reflecting some people`s thoughts on the Industrial Leagues and ball players. The fact that Joe and his wife included it as part of his history is very telling. You can super size the page by simply clicking on it for a better look.

http://www.blackbetsy.com/imagefarm/...es_105-106.jpg

As an added bonus, bottom right of page is a story about Charles C. taking 4 to 1 odds that his "boys" win the 1919 world series !