Mountain Athletic Club 

Luxury and baseball didn’t really go hand-in-hand at the turn of the 20^th century, especially in the dog days of summer and particularly in a small town. But tucked in the Catskill Mountains of New York State, in the resort town of Griffin Corners, sat a grounds unique to professional baseball. Everything about the park, the athletes that played there and the spectators that viewed the contests set it apart, eclipsing in the minds of those lucky enough to spend an afternoon amid the ambiance the experience they could derive from the largest ballpark in the biggest city the National League could offer. 

It wasn’t merely the aesthetics – a beautifully manicured ball field carved within the mountain terrain, amid rolling hills and a scattering of opulent estates. The trip from town to the park must have been majestic and a welcome amble for those typically confined to city life. Perhaps it was essential that the weather tended to be cooler than many found during the height of summer. Surely that is what attracted many to the area, the ones that erected second homes in the hills. For the spectators, it was also the exclusivity. It was a town, a village really, of the wealthy and the wealthy tend to prefer those that can afford to run in the same circles. 

For the ballplayers, they had a patron saint – well several of them. Unlike the rest of the baseball world, the Catskill club, dubbed the Mountain Athletic Club, was amassed with no thought to profits or losses. They didn’t matter. Baseball in the hills had a benefactor, the Fleischmann family of flour and vodka fame. Charles Fleischmann and his sons Julius and Max wanted to entertain themselves and their vacationing brethren. The team was presented gratis, or virtually so, for all to enjoy. 

The ballplayers? Well, they were in the catbird seat. Not only did they play on one of the best kept fields in the most picturesque settings in all of sports but they had their every whim catered to. There was a stunning clubhouse fully equipped with showers – and an attendant. The crowd was without a doubt of a finer breed than a ballplayer of the era could expect – and this naturally extended to their interactions within the village. Their hotel accommodations would have made any League player envious. Travel? There was a special car for that. Oh, and the pay wasn’t bad either. The Fleischmann millions saw to everyone’s comfort, especially their own. It was perhaps the classiest of all baseball experiences anywhere in the country until the era when most of the ballplayers themselves became millionaires. 

Fleischmann History 

Positioned in the hills of the Catskills, Griffin Corner was, for the most part, inaccessible to the masses during much of the 19^th century. Farmers, there’s always farmers, buy few others called the area home. Like the rest of the nation, the railroad changed that. It linked the area with the rest the network in May 1870. It was another decade before the village’s prospects took a dramatic turn. 

In the early 1880s, Griffin Corners’ resident John M. Blish sold Charles Fleischmann , a resident of Cincinnati, his first parcel of land in the area. Fleischmann, an immigrant from Moravia  , amassed a fortune via his self-named yeast producing plant and distillery. He also had extensive real estate and other business ventures and was heavily involved in politics and philanthropy. 

The family ultimately amassed other plots and erected a grand compound near the railroad depot, composing five mansions and numerous outbuildings. Soon enough, others followed, building spacious summer homes, exceeding $30,000 or $40,000 – significant sums for the day. A resort community was in its genesis; seclusion, mountain views, fresh air and spring water were but few of the attractions. 

Extensive landscaping followed. A deer park and hunting grounds were established. Stables were erected, as were a heated pool and a trout pond. Hotels, restaurants and fringe businesses cropped up and flourished. Ultimately, a lake would be created for boating, water sports, sunbathing and swimming. 

Entertainment 

The abundance of wealth and the pleasing surroundings soon brought an array of performers to the community during the summer months. Broadway stars made the trip, as did opera singers, entertainers of various ilks and, of course, athletes. 

Sports were engrained in the Fleischmanns. They would spend far more on their yachting and horse racing interests, entertainments of the rich, than they ever would on baseball. (As horse racing enthusiasts, the Fleischmanns were well acquainted with Col. Jacob Ruppert long before either dove into major league baseball.) Charles and especially his sons, who grew up amid luxury with idle time, also enjoyed hunting, fishing, boxing and polo. Baseball, though, was the sport of the masses, the national pastime that could and did provide daily entertainment for those that wanted to be a spectator or participant or both. 

Baseball had been played in the Catskills but only sporadically. A small farming community with limited spare time offered few possibilities for organizing contests on a regular basis. The railroad men, as they made their way into the community, did play the game though and would attract their share of viewers at makeshift ball fields. By the early 1890s, local colleges played contests for onlookers in the Catskills. 

By the mid 1890s – probably 1894, the Fleischmanns began sponsoring a town team and contests for the amusement of themselves and their fellow vacationers. Julius, 24 in 1895, and Max, 18, as young men took the field. The original diamond was laid out on the side of the mountain. Gravity, it was said, aided more than a few ball to sail out of reach for a four-bagger. The early teams included college and probably some semi-pro players. The college players were brought in because they were more likely to be gentlemen – a major plus during this rough and tumble era of baseball – and, of course, the fact that they were well-known in the area. 

Honus Wagner 

It is claimed that Honus Wagner played with the Fleischmann club in 1895 before he embarked on his major league career. This seems doubtful. There are no such contemporary accounts. Though in truth, there is little about the early Catskill club before 1899. The Devaleria biography of Wagner makes no mention of it and in 1895 he bounced around to five clubs, none particularly close to the Catskill Mountains. There is a picture from the Catskill Mountain News on March 14, 1863 which may have initiated this claim: 

Honus Wagner, Andy Coakley, Harry Stevens, Granville Whitaker

Frank Riley, Ed Winters, Julius Fleischmann, Max Fleischmann, Art Reynolds

Orson Hitt, Pete Cregan, Red Dooin, Bill Shufelt 

This is clearly not from 1895 or even the 1890s. Coakley would have only been 12 years old in 1895 (and he seems in the picture to be in his twenties). The picture is from the first decade of the 1900s. The Fleishmanns probably brought the men together for some contests during the postseason. Futhermore, I don’t think that is Wagner pitcured. Wagner and Coakley were only an inch apart and this picture shows otherwise.

I don’t necessarily doubt that Wagner played with the Tourists at some point but when? 

There are a couple other interesting things here though. The first is Harry Stevens of vending and hot dog fame. He appears in the photo – probably as an umpire that day. Second, note Julius’ pose. He looks to the right in his pictures (see later team pix) – seems odd, especially since the others are not. It’s also noteworthy that men like Whitaker, Cregan, Shufelt and Dooin kept returning to the club. The perks must have been alluring. (Hitt was a Griffin Corner resident.) 

Mountain Athletic Club Grounds 

A new ballpark was needed, and it would require a lot of blasting; a flat site had to be carved out of the rock. This was done at no little expense to the Fleischmanns. A four-acre plot was first purchased north of the current Wagner Avenue (not named after Honus as some have claimed). 

After extensive leveling, the field was ready for use in 1896. It included a skinned-infield which was meticulously manicured, as was the outfield. No diamond in the country was its superior in this regard. Groundskeeper John Blish, the one who sold Charles Fleischmann his first parcel in the area, saw to it. 

Grandstand seating was provided for the Fleischmanns and 600 of their honored guests. A nominal entrance fee was charged, if at all. It wasn’t necessary though; only a chain link fence surrounded the field. Carriages or individuals could settle pretty much anywhere with minimal to no obstruction. Often the entire community dropped everything to watch the games, bring business to a standstill. 

 

The view was spectacular: 

 

More important to the ballplayers was the spacious, elegant clubhouse. It included three dressing rooms and a man to see to their every need. Few minor leaguers, or even major leagues, had it so good. Visitors were particularly impressed with their reception; they didn’t get such treatment elsewhere. Once a week, a band was a part of pregame activities. Away from the park, the men were housed at one of the fine summer hotels that lined the main streets. 

The park area was donated to the community by the Fleishmanns in 1913 to be used as a community park. For this and other generosities, the area known as Griffin Corners, part of which was already being called Fleischmann, was formally renamed as Fleischmann, New York. 

Mountain Athletic Club 

The grounds, clubhouse and team were dubbed the Mountain Athletic Club by the Fleischmanns. They were also called the Mountain Tourists or simply Mountaineers. At times, they were identified as representing Cincinnati, the Fleischmann’s hometown. Club expenses were met by the Fleischmann including salaries and $150 guarantee for visiting clubs. 

The season began in mid June each year. Typically, the men would arrive around the 15^th and contests would take place within a week. Like all baseball men, the guys had probably been playing since March or April and were thoroughly limber. Some had played college ball into May and others had played elsewhere. It’s interesting that Miller Huggins, a Tourist in 1900, later mentioned that the club was actually a touring Cincinnati group, suggesting that some of the team had already been playing together. There is actually some evidence of this: 

• The MAC headed to Cincinnati in October 1900 to play some contests
• The MAC met the Cincinnati Reds at the beginning of April 1901
• A club called the Cincinnati Mountain Tourists were found playing in Knoxville in April 1902 

Ernest Landgraf, a minor league journeyman, managed the club in 1896. Eventually, the Fleischmann brothers wanted more from their baseball experience – i.e. to play alongside the professionals. (Charles Fleischmann died in December 1897.) When Bug Holliday was released from the Cincinnati Reds at the beginning of July 1898, the Fleischmann sprung into action and got him to come to the mountains. 

1899 

The following year, they dove into professionalism. Their money bought a top club for the 1899 and 1900 seasons. The Fleischmanns’ cousin Herman Blair, a professional manager, helped send some talent their way. Art Reynolds also claimed to be a heavy recruiter. 

The 1899 team included (major leaguers in red): 

• Max Fleischmann, outfield
• Julius Fleischmann, manager, outfield
• Pete Cregan, shortstop,
• Sedgwick, outfield
• Granville Whitaker,   first base
• Tom Donahue,  outfield
• Bill Nye, catcher
• Bill Shufelt, second base
• Lenz, third base
• Fuller, outfield
• Riley, pitcher
• Tom Colcolough, pitcher
• Coakley, pitcher (may have been Colcolough)
• Werner, pitcher
• Ed Winters
• Frank Palen
• Bugs Holliday 

Some of these names could be assumed, to protect their amateur status. Holliday played for the Cincinnati Reds in 1898. Colcolough was released by the New York Giants in mid July. Cregan would make his major league debut in September, with the Giants. In the spring, the Fleischmanns unsuccessfully tried to lure pitcher Cy Seymour, who was holding out from the Giants. 

Tom Donahue was the younger brother of Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Frank Donahue. Both brothers were nicknamed “Red.” In the fall, Tom headed to Villanova College, playing both football and baseball for the school. 

With their new batch of professionals, the Mountain Athletic Club began to extensively travel throughout the area for away games. The New York Evening Telegram noted that they could be found “riding in a parlor car, surrounded with luxury that would make a [National] League team envious.” (7/26/1899) 

Among other destinations, they can be tracked at Ilion, Richmond Springs, Weehawken, New Jersey and Jersey City. They didn’t drop too many contests. One loss was at the hands of the Orange Athletic Club and another was to the traveling All-Cubans , a team of foreign-born players organized by Abel Linares. Unlike later All-Cuban clubs, the 1899 version fielded Cubans players with light skin. The MAC also played the Cuban Giants during the summer. 

On August 23 in the Catskills, the All-Cubans defeated the MAC 9-3. The Tourists claimed that they took their opponents lightly and fielded a number of substitutes. That just may be the case, as the next day the MAC exacted revenge 20-2 on a five-hitter thrown by the big righthander Colcolough. The Tourists knocked 19 safeties. 

They proceeded to trounce Jersey City, in Jersey City on the 27^th, 33-3. Back home, the MAC took both games of a doubleheader from Jersey City on September 5. (Colcolough was brought in by the Fleischmanns at $50 a game plus expenses, initially to take on the tough West New York club.) 

In September the Fleischmanns placed a bid to purchase the New York Giants but never sealed the deal. They would later buy into the Cincinnati Reds and even had a small piece of the Philadelphia Phillies. 

1900 

Nineteen Hundred proved to be the heyday of the Mountain Athletic Club. For one, their roster included at least eight past or future major leaguers at various times during the season. Second, it paid off; losses were few and far between. The Sporting News claimed only 4 in 60 contests. The even defeated the National League Reds in October. 

The roster (major leaguers in red): 

• Julius Fleischmann, manager
• Max Fleischmann, outfield
• Red Dooin, catcher
• Barney McFadden, pitcher (another Villanova student)
• Charlie Werner (Warner), pitcher
• Harris, pitcher
• Pete Cregan, outfield
• Miller Huggins, second base
• Hobart J. Valdois, shortstop (from Jersey City club)
• George Rohe, third base
• Mitchell, outfield
• Bill Nye, first base (Possible alias?)
• Jiggs Donahue, outfield
• John ‘Black Jack’ Keenan, pitcher
• Nick Altrock, pitcher
• Doc White, pitcher 

Cincinnati connections: 

Before the season, Max Fleischmann was named vice president of the Cincinnati Reds. Also in 1900, Julius was elected mayor of the city, serving until 1905. Dooin, a Cincinnati native, was a dental student at Xavier University in Cincinnati. (Dooin later remarked that he earned $150 a month with the MAC.) 

Black Jack Keenan, a career minor leaguer, was a Cincinnati native. Jiggs Donahue was also a local guy. He would make his major league debut in September with Pittsburgh. Likewise, Rohe was from Cincinnati; he would join the Baltimore Orioles in 1901. Altrock was another Cincinnati boy. 

The Fleischmanns tried but failed to sign a Cincinnati legend – Hall of Famer Bid McPhee, who was 40 years old and at the end of a long, distinguished career. McFadden joined the Reds in 1901. 

Another Cincinnati resident was Miller Huggins. He was a student at the University of Cincinnati, later earning a law degree. In 1899 with Mansfield, Huggins played under the pseudonym “William Proctor” to protect his amateur status. With Mansfield, he played the outfield, shortstop and third base. It was with the MAC that Huggins switched to second base as a professional. The box scores located in 1900 show Huggins playing under his own name. In 1904 at age 26, he joined the Cincinnati Reds (drafted off the St. Paul roster in September 1903), then owned in part by the Fleischmanns. 

Werner signed with Charlie Comiskey after the 1900 season but didn’t make the White Stockings roster. Doc White was a student at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. before joining the MAC. He then signed with the Phillies for 1901. Cregan was a native of Kingston, New York, located near the Catskills. (Granville Whitaker was also from Kingston.) 

Team photo of the 1900 Mountain Athletic Club: 

 

Here’s a stab at naming the men in the photo (photo appeared in newspapers in August): 

Red Dooin, ??, Doc White, ??

Miller Huggins, Pete Gregan, Julius Fleischmann, ??, George Rohe

Jiggs Donahue, Max Fleischmann, ??, ?? 

In reference to there being different Donahues on the 1899 and 1900 roster, it appears to be just that – different men – and not a point of confusion, even though they played the same position. The 1899 Donahue was specifically identified as Red Donahue of the Phillies’ brother Tom. The photo from 1900 clearly shows Jiggs Donahue. Though he is primarily known for playing other positions, the box scores in 1900 show Jiggs in the outfield. 

Comparing the two photos – 1900 and the earlier Wagner one, it seems to me that Cregan and Max Fleischmann were quite similar in the face. Bouncing back and forth between the four faces makes the identification in the 1900 photo tough for me. Hence, I can be convinced that Max was in the front row and Pete was in the middle row – or vice versa. 

As to the unidentified members – happy hunting. Altrock didn’t join the club until late September or October, so he’s out. Keenan joined the club late as well. I couldn’t find a decent picture of Barney McFadden to make an educated guess. 

The Tourists traveled in an impressive Pullman car. Their uniforms were dark blue with “Mountain” written across the chest in red. As usual, the season in the Catskills kicked off in mid June. 

Huggins later recalled a game versus the Cuban Giants during 1900. Max Fleischmann, at bat, accidentally knocked out the famed catcher Clarence Williams with a blow to the back of the head as Williams rose to throw out a stealing Huggins at second base. 

The MAC was supposed to play the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati on July 16 but the game never came off. Researcher Bob Mayer informs me that instead the Tourists played the local amateur/semi-pro Shamrocks in a doubleheader at League Park. The MAC swept the Shamrocks before an unusually large crowd. Unfortunately, I couldn’t locate a firsthand account of the games. Also, newspaper references place the MAC still on their way to Cincinnati in late July, so the games may have taken place later than expected (or perhaps they had been in Cincinnati and were due to return). (It’s also interesting to note that one reference claimed that the MAC included five former members of the Shamrocks.) 

As of the end of July, one report claimed that the Tourists had only loss one game to date – to Ilion, New York. 

The MAC finally met the Reds on October 2 in Cincinnati. From the Sporting Life reference below, it’s clear the meeting didn’t go well for the major leaguers. The game was a benefit for nearly the 300 pound Cincinnati Enquirer sports editor Harry Weldon who suffered a stoke in February. 

Sporting Life 10/13/1900 

1901 and Later 

The Mountain Athletic Club continued after their stars of 1900 departed but press coverage abated. Probably in large part because of the return to college and semi-pro player dominated clubs. 

The ballpark suffered about $1000 in damage from flooding in April 1901. It would be fixed, and seating expanded to accommodate 5000 over the winter 1902-1903. 

In each year 1901-1902 (and perhaps others), the team kicked off the season in Cincinnati. During those seasons (and perhaps others), the MAC fielded a junior club that played as early as April in New York. In 1901, they won the local championship. 

The Fleischmanns bought the Cincinnati Reds in 1902 with George Cox and Garry Herrmann .

In 1905, a Catskill Mountain League was organized. 

Wagner Revisited 

The question still looms – when did Honus Wagner play for the Mountain Tourists? Again, with the inclusion of Andy Coakley in the picture, it seems clear that the photo stems from the first decade of the 20^th century – sometime between 1901 and 1910, probably 1902-1905. And, Wagner wasn’t in that photo as claimed in the article.

Another clue comes from a Kingston Daily Freeman article dated 24 April 1964. The reporter wrote the article after a discussion with Granville Whitaker’s son and a review of some papers he had, especially a letter from Art Reynolds. (Reynold’s letter places himself as the organizer and driving force behind the club. This may in part be true but it smacks of the numerous self-serving accounts in oral baseball lure. In truth, I’m not sure who Arthur S. Reynolds was. ) 

Whitaker had the same team photo with Wagner, but with a few telling features: 

• The Honus Wagner image is identified as “Dutch Ritsey” of Pittsburgh
• Andy Coakley is identified as “Bill Williams” of the Phillies
• Red Dooin is identified as “Will Moore.” In the Catskill Mountain News photo caption he is identified as Bill Doon. Within the text of the former, he is identified as Bill Doone late of the Phillies.

It’s telling perhaps that the only names misidentified are major leaguers. They may have been playing under aliases and this may account for the lack of contemporary evidence of their involvement. Though, they apparently didn’t mind being photographed. Whitaker’s son inherited the picture from his father which included the assumed names, which further shows the protection of the major leaguers. Along these lines, it seems logical that if the major leaguers chose to play under aliases and not be nationally identified moonlighting that the Fleischmanns, who were major league owners at this time and gods in the Catskills, could certainly see to it. Further extending this – Wagner may have been protected in this way as well and that may explain why there are no contemporary accounts of his inclusion in the team – only verbal recounts decades later.

Dutch Ritsey may have been Claude Ritchey. The height is right.

SOURCE LIST 

• Albany Evening Journal, 11 June 1900, 23 July 1900, 29 October 1900
• Arcadian Weekly Gazette, Newark, New Jersey, November 1896
• Baseball-reference.com
• Binghamton Press, New York, 2 May 1905
• Boston Journal, 13 August 1899
• Brooklyn Eagle, September 1899, 24 June 1900, 6 February 1925
• Buffalo Morning Press, 1 March 1896, 20 July 1900
• Catskill Mountain News, 14 March 1963
• Catskill.net
• Dallas Morning News, 26 August 1900
• Devaleria, Dennis and Jeanne Burke Devaleria. Honus Wagner: A Biography. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1995.
• Elmira Morning Telegram, New York, 20 September 1903
• Freeport Daily Journal, Ohio, 19 May 1899
• Hamilton Daily Democrat, Ohio, 7 February 1901
• Jersey Evening Journal, Jersey City, New Jersey, 1899-1900
• Kingston Daily Freeman, New York, 24 April 1964
• Lowell Sun, Massachusetts, 20 October 1902
• Mansfield News, Ohio, 25 February 1901, 12 April 1901
• Mtownhistory.org
• New York Daily Herald, 9 June 1899
• New York Evening Telegram, 26 July 1899, 15 August 1913, 26 October 1917
• New York Evening Tribune, 30 April 1903
• New York Herald-Tribune, 14 August 1899
• New York Sun, 18 April 1897, 1902
• New York Times, 1894, 1901-1903, 1906
• New York World, 11 December 1897, 1 July 1898, 20 August 1899
• Omaha World Herald, 22 March 1901
• Retrosheet.org
• Richfield Daily, Richfield Springs, New York, 17 August 1900
• Rochester Democrat Chronicle, 26 September 1904
• San Antonio Daily Express, 23 July 1899
• San Antonio Light, 11 June 1899
• Skenelib.org
• Sporting Life, 1897-1901
• The Sporting News, 1900-1901
• Thorn, John, “The Last Resort,” Voices, Volume 36, Spring-Summer 2010
• Utica Sunday Journal, 13 August 1900
• Washington Post, 20 September 1899, 24 March 1901, 30 July 1902, 10 August 1913
• Wikipedia.org

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