Base-ball-to-day Philadelphia Giants the fastest colored team in base ball vs Dixfield A.A.
Item
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Title
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Base-ball-to-day Philadelphia Giants the fastest colored team in base ball vs Dixfield A.A.
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Description
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The Handbill for Philadelphia Giants game, playing at Harlow Park, Dixfield at 3 P.M. Formed in 1902, the Philadelphia Giants was a powerhouse independent Black team until disbanding in 1911, forced by player defections (Wikipedia contributors 2025).
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The team was founded by Sol White, H. Walter Schlichter and Harry Smith. They won five eastern championships between 1904–1909 and were included in the Society for American Baseball Research list of pre-1920 major‑league‑caliber Black teams (Pomrenke 2024).
With their popularity and to avoid conflicts with the Philadelphia Athletics' schedule, they sometimes leased their own home stadium at Broad and Jackson Streets in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Baseball History - Philadelphia Giants Defeat Cuban X-Giants in Championship Series. September 1-3, 1904. : R/Philadelphia,” n.d.). However, the Giants home field was listed as Columbia Park, located at 29th Street and Columbia Avenue (now Cecil B. Moore Ave.), which was also the home of the Philadelphia Athletics that was managed by Connie Mack. Philadelphia has a strong collection of historic baseball fields, read Jerrold Casway’s online article entitled “Locating Philadelphia’s Historic Ballfields” (Casway 1993) for more of the city’s rich ball field history.
The Philadelphia Giants lost their first championship in 1903 against the Cuban-X Giants of Trenton, NJ; but in a September 1904 rematch they won. Following is the team’s roster, with 3 members elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame (1904 Philadelphia Giants - Seamheads Negro Leagues Database, n.d.):
C – Chappie Johnson (27)
1B – Sol White (36) player-manager and co-founder, Baseball Hall of Fame, 2006
2B – Charlie Grant (26)
3B – Johnny Hill (28)
SS – Bill Monroe (26)
LF – Andrew Payne (24)
CF – Pete Hill (21) - Baseball Hall of Fame, 2006
RF – William Bell (age unknown)
C (backup) – Robert Footes (age unknown)
SP - Kid Carter (age unknown)
SP - Will Horn (age unknown)
P - Rube Foster (24) - Baseball Hall of Fame, 1981
The Philadelphia Giants won in what was called a second "World's Colored Championship"; it was determined by a best-of-three series in September. Pitcher Rube Foster beat the Cuban X-Giants in both the first and the decisive third games for Philadelphia's first championship. Headshots of the team can be found at seamshead.com.
Because of blatant racism and the limited number of Negro leagues at the time, the Philadelphia Giants were often faced with playing most of their games against white East Coast minor-leagues, such as the Dixfield AAs of Maine pictured in the undated handbill. Throughout the Philadelphia Giants short-lived existence the team belonged to multiple leagues, each having its own membership and racial characteristics. League membership comprised of the following:
Eastern Independent Clubs
Independent Clubs
National Association
International League
Negro Leagues vs. Major Leagues
The legacy of the Philadelphia Giants is a testament to Black athleticism and resilience during an era of systemic racial segregation. Their ability to generate excitement, defeat rivals like the Cuban X-Giants, and field a roster featuring three future Hall of Famers like Rube Foster, Sol White and Pete Hill, speaks to their team talent.
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List of Black teams of major-league caliber are:
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Hall of Famer - Sol White
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Hall of Famer - Rube Foster
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Hall of Famer - Pete Hill
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The Philadelphia Giants History
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Rights
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This work is believed to be in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States. For more information, see http://rightsstatements.org/page/NoC-US/1.0/
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Creator
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Philadelphia Giants, Holt Brothers Print Shop
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Format
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Text
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Language
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eng
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Spatial Coverage
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Philadelphia, PA
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Publisher
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The Library Company of Philadelphia
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Contributor
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Library Company of Philadelphia
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Extent
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1 page
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Identifier
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sm # Am 1910 Phi Gia 8641.F
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Date Created
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1910
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Subject
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African American baseball players
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Negro leagues
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National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum
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Posters
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Baseball
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Maine
