Posted By:
KeithI have for sale a 1907 real photo postcard of the Chambersburg Ex-High School Football Team. Looking for $15 Shipped. Email me at kjjavic@aol.com
The players are identified at the bottom of the photo
One of the players (the player in the back row with the C on his sweater) is Jack Bowers, who went on to a fairly distinguished minor league baseball career in the Virginia League and other teams of that vicinity from about 1908-15
I am not sure what the Ex in the team name refers to? Are these former High school players who formed a post graduation team?
The photo has some minor chipping in areas, and has some paperloss on the back.
I have another identical postcard (not for sale) that is dated with fountain pen on the front with the year 1907.
Here was a note that Rhys mentioned about Bowers in a previous post of mine (Thanks Rhys)
Jack Bowers was a good baseball player who seems to have had a problem sticking with any team for more than a few months. He mostly played in the south and played against Joe Jackson while he was a member (Bowers) of Winston Salem in 1908. He also played with Bristol, Asheville, and had offers from some higher ranking teams like Lancaster but everywhere he played he went awall or reneged on his contract for greener pastures but never stuck anywhere. As far as I can tell, Asheville is the only place he ever played for a full season (1912) and then quit baseball all together and joined the Army for WW1 and then moved back to Chambersburg and was in charge of local athletics til he died.