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Baby Steps:

The three elements that separated the roots of modern baseball from all others were a strict definition between fair and foul territory, scoring and reaching base, and the adoption of the three out rule. Variations of these elements would continue to exist even after clubs began to favor a specific rule set and true unification was still some time away. Even still, by 1838 these variations were beginning to wane and competitive matches between clubs were starting to materialize.

Cherry Arch Baseball Club:

Not to be confused with the educators club of similar name, this club was made up of their employers and former pupils. Once again, this is another situation where history anoints more credit than it should. Yes, the Cherry Arch Club is responsible for actually committing a rule set to paper that would eventually morph into the modern baseball playing rules. The fact that their rule set is the oldest historical evidence we have to this point is also true. Hopefully though, by this point it is quite clear that they were not the original baseball club of Ipsen and Normington as a whole. They weren’t even the only club in operation using the rule set they are credited with creating. Prominent Members:

Harry Edwards-Governor
Stuart Felton-Steward
Leon Flanders-Secretary
Josh Parker-Treasurer

Moon Lodge Baseball Club:

The Moon Lodge Social club had been a mainstay in Ipsen for generations. Horatio Moon, the successful shipbuilder, founded the club in the 1680’s. Moon’s Lodge as it came to be known was a welcome retreat for early industrial magnates in Ipsen. As their political clout grew membership became more diversified and began to include politicians and other government dignitaries. The Moon Lodge Baseball club is actually a branch of the Moon Lodge Social Club. Cabinet members included:

Charles Brewster-Senior Warden
Simon Hobbs- Junior Warden
Douglas West- Secretary
Merton Hall- Treasurer

Clover Baseball Club:

The Clover District was another area in Ipsen where upper class families made their residence. The Clover Club was composed of doctors and lawyers. The Clover Baseball Club enjoyed playing matches on Saturday afternoon whereas many other clubs would play whenever wherever they felt the desire.

You will notice that baseball clubs during this time were very localized to certain areas of the cities. We are some time away yet before clubs claim to represent the entire city as a whole. We also believe that there were more clubs than the three mentioned here that were playing under a shared rule set but thus far evidence of such a claim has proven elusive. Clover hierarchy:

Amos Brownleaf-Senior Warden
Harman Cook-Junior Warden
Samuel Dicker-Secretary
John Kent-Treasurer

The Difficulty of Securing Evidence:

Much of what we know about Norming society in the 19th century comes from newspapers. This results in a multi-layered problem. For one, newspapers were not published daily like they are today. Also, the information in those early papers was geared toward the wealthy class, as they were the ones that were most likely able to afford and have the ability to read what was written. Early papers provided more information about the stock market and business trends than it ever did for baseball. This forces historians to pour through countless pages of club minutes that were not always faithfully kept or very detailed about baseball in the first place. Even when baseball specific clubs were formed their minutes were often devoid of information we would find useful today. We still have to remember that even though the popularity of the game is certainly growing it is still considered a leisure activity.

The First Meeting of Clubs:

It is assumed that over the next two years there was an increase in clubs that were willing to conform to a certain rule set in order to play competitively against each other. The reason for this assumption was because the Cherry Arch Club hosted the first meeting of baseball clubs on record. The meeting took place on February 15th 1840 which was recorded as a blistering cold day in Ipsen. Cherry Arch Governor Harry Edwards presided over the proceedings. His proposal was to work with the other club representatives to create an official set of rules for competition. It was a very ambitious effort considering that most of the clubs present were only a handful of years old. What was great about the 1840 meeting from a historical standpoint was that Cherry Arch Secretary Perry Barnes was on hand to archive the event. The first thing of note was the number of club representatives in attendance.

Cherry Arch (Ipsen)- (Edwards, Felton, Flanders, Parker)
Moon Lodge (Ipsen)- (Brewster, West)
Clover (Ipsen)- (Brownleaf, Norris)
Tailorsfield (Ipsen)- (Irvine, Payne)
Butcher Boys (Ipsen)-(Bacon, Clark)
Westgate (Ipsen)-(Williams, Edwards)
Cour’s Green (Oldgate)-(Dunbar)
Stormtown (Oldgate)-(Simmons)
Silk Orchard (Ladwig)-(Hatwood, Hutson)
Ivy Lawn (Oxberry)-(Archer)
White Bridge (Jipson)-(Bender, Wood)
Pearl Crossing (Jipson)-(Whipple, Yance)
Two Crests (Fenkell)- (Owens, Skinner)
Pearlhill (Fenkell)-(Parks)
The Groves (Winterhalter)-(McCord, Norton)
Sunset Gate (Millharbour)- (Parks, Morgan, Hall, Halstead)
West Town (Mersey)-(Chamberlain, White)

There were a couple of interesting things to note about this list of clubs. First, the Butcher Boys Baseball Club found a way into the meeting. The Butcher Boys, while influential, were not considered a club of the upper class membership. The same augment could be made to a lesser degree about the Westgate Baseball Club. Another interesting item of note was the number of clubs that were not from the city of Ipsen. This just illustrates how far the game has already traveled. The Sunset Gate Baseball Club was the only representative from Millharbour in Folmer, which sits 145 miles away from Ipsen. It was a very good mix of clubs but aside from Westgate and the Butcher Boys it clearly was a gathering of the elites (money wise not talent wise).

Before we continue with the meeting a few words need to be said about host Harry Edwards. The Edwards family made their fortune in shipbuilding. The Edwards line was well known throughout Normington. Henry was born in 1803 and enjoyed the benefits of a privileged upbringing. Undoubtedly, Harry (as he was called) played some form of baseball as a youth. Harry attended college at Alborne State University and graduated with a degree in law which he put to use in protecting interests in the family business. Harry must have kept time for baseball as he was one of the founding members of the Cherry Arch Baseball Club and elected its inaugural Governor. Since it was the Cherry Arch Club that Edwards represented that organized the event being discussed, it is pretty safe to assume that he was a vocal supporter in some type of unification regarding rules of competition. To invite seventeen clubs may suggest he had bigger aspirations as well.

Returning to the meeting notes, Edwards proposed that the clubs present should come up with a standard set of playing rules and a “gentlemen’s agreement” to only play other clubs with this shared rule set. It was an ambitious proposal that was quickly met with resistance. Without going into each representative's remarks, it was clear that coming up with an agreed upon rule set would be challenging enough. Clubs were just not ready to agree to any sort of system that would look like league play. Baseball was just not there yet and Edwards would have to put a pause on his idea for now. It would turn out that even coming up with an agreed set of playing rules was daunting enough as not all clubs left the meeting in agreement. Here is a recap of what was decided.