1896 Page Fence Giants, Adrian MI

This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style and written documentation for color. Minor details may be undocumented or difficult to determine. An educated guess is made to complete the rendering.

Rendering accuracy:Year: documented    Team: documented

Visual documentation on this uniform:

Photo A

Dated May 30, 1896, or May 31, 1896. Photo of the Page Fence Giants at South Bend, Indiana. Year of photo confirmed by appearance of players Van Dyke and Graham in combination with player Grant. These men only played together for this team in 1896. The photo date of May 30 or May 31, 1896, can be determined by the mark in the lower right corner of the print that reads, “McDonald Photo, So. Bend, Ind.” On June 1, 1896, the South Bend Tribune, reported that “McDonald, the photographer, made a negative of the Page Fence Giants during their stay in South Bend.” The Logansport (IN) Pharos-Tribune on May 29, 1896, stated that the “the Page Fence Giants of Adrian and the Colored Unions of Chicago, both claiming the colored championship, will play Saturday [May 30] and Sunday [May 31] in South Bend.” The Logansport (IN) Reporter on May 29 stated that the games were to be played “at Studebaker park, South Bend.” Researcher Mitch Lutzke has found that the team also played in South Bend on July 12, 1896, and then again on September 20, 1896, as part of their Championship Series against the Cuban X-Giants. However, Lutzke adds that the team picture was “probably a Memorial Day photo as Joe Miller skipped the team by the July game it appears over a salary dispute. By the championship series Miller and James Patterson are playing with the Cuban X-Giants.” Players wore a dark uniform in this photo. A newspaper account from 1896 described the team’s uniforms as black in color, with black caps, maroon belts and maroon stockings. The lettering on the shirts was gold in color.

Top row, from left: George Taylor (95-98), George Wilson (95-98), Grant Johnson (95-98) and Joe Miller (95-98). Middle: Billy Holland (95-97), (Gus Parsons, mgr) and Pete Burns (95-98). Front: Fred Van Dyke (95, 96), William Binga (95-98), Charlie Grant (96-98) and Vasco Graham (95, 96). Player IDs from photo frame. Years players with team based on a review of published box scores from 1895 and 1898, and from Mitch Lutzke, The Page Fence Giants, A History of Black Baseball’s Pioneering Champions (2018). Researcher Thom Karmik of baseballhistorytoday.com has noted that Augustus “Gus” Parsons served as the team’s business manager and scheduled their games [and] he’s often misidentified as the team’s manager.” Image scan from the Lansing City Pulse, retrieved August 30, 2019. Back side of photo card was a printed advertisement for the Page Woven Wire Fence Co. with the headline, “Play Ball! Make Fence!” Original photo by McDonald, South Bend, IN, possibly Albert McDonald.

Dated May 30, 1896, or May 31, 1896. Detail view of photo A. Detail view showed a pillbox-style cap with two horizontal bands and the team name spelled out across the shirt. The word “Giants” fell across the button placket and onto the shirt pocket. Note that the letters “I” and “A” in “GIANTS” were divided on either side of the opening and that one white button overlapped the “A.” This positioning of the word “Giants” in addition to the style of cap can help to differentiate this photo from others images made of the team.

Dated May 30, 1896, or May 31, 1896. Two additional detail views of photo A. Note that the uniform had lace ties on the front of the pants. These ties were most likely gold in color, which was the same color as the shirt lettering. The detail view at right showed that the some of the team members wore pants with quilted padding.

Photo B

Dated 1896 to 1898. More info to come on this image.

Top row, from left: Grant Johnson (95-98), Charlie Grant (96-98), Joe Miller (95-98) and John Patterson (97, 98). Middle: George Taylor (95-98), William Binga (95-98), (Gus Parsons, mgr), Sherman Barton (97, 98) and Pete Burns (95-98). Front, on ground: unidentified and George Wilson (95-98). Player IDs based on photo A and from various other sources. Identity of Patterson from seamheads.com. Assistance on identities from Bill Hickman. Years players with team based on a review of published box scores from 1895 to 1898, and from Mitch Lutzke, The Page Fence Giants, A History of Black Baseball’s Pioneering Champions (2018). Image scan from Christies, which stated that “the cabinet is stamped on the verso C. A. Buss, photographer, Jefferson, Wis. and inscribed Sherman Barton, Normal, Ill.” Based on this information, the photographer was most likely Charles A. Buss, who around 1905 worked in nearby Ft. Atkinson, Jefferson Co., Wisconsin. Regarding Sherman Barton, the 1897 Bloomington, IL, city directory listed him as “col’d” and living in Normal at South School Street, no occupation given. The 1900 US Census also listed Barton as living in Normal and with the occupation of “Base Ballist.” His inscription on the back of the photo mount suggests that he was, at one time, the owner of this image.

Detail view of photo B.

Written documentation on this uniform:
1896: “In late February [1896], the new Page Fence Giants’ uniforms were proudly displayed in the Taylor Brothers Hardware Store. They were different outfits from the previous year [1895], which had been black jerseys with maroon lettering and tan socks and caps. The prestigious Albert G. Spalding Company in Chicago had made the 1896 version of black and maroon-striped uniforms emblazoned with gold letters that read ‘Page Fence Giants’ across the chest. The Giants’ heads would be adorned with black caps, with their legs covered with maroon stockings.” From Mitch Lutzke, The Page Fence Giants, A History of Black Baseball’s Pioneering Champions (2018), citing the Adrian (MI) Daily Times and Expositor, February 28, 1896. Note that this reference to a “black and maroon-striped” uniform was not supported by the team photo from this year, see photo A, and may suggest the black uniforms had maroon stitching.

May 1896: “McDonald, the photographer, made a negative of the Page Fence Giants during their stay in South Bend.” From the South Bend (IN) Tribune, June 1, 1896. A team photo from 1896 included the inscription,“McDonald Photo, So. Bend, Ind.,” in the lower right corner, see photo A. According to newspaper reports, the Page Fence Giants played games in South Bend on May 30 and May 31, 1896.

Team genealogy: Page Fence Giants, 1895-1898
The Page Fence Giants were formed in 1894 in Adrian, Michigan, as an independent touring team, and played their first games in 1895. The team was named after their sponsor, the Page Woven Wire Fence Co. They barnstormed between the years 1895 and 1898 and dissolved after the 1898 season. Later, several of their top players joined the Columbia Giants of Chicago. Information from wikipedia.com