1897 Page Fence Giants, Adrian MI
This rendering is based on visual documentation for uniform style only. An educated guess is made on uniform color based on documentation from a related year. Minor details may be missing or difficult to determine.
Rendering accuracy:Year: documented Team: documented
The fabulous fence photo.
As team pictures go, the photo below of the Page Fence Giants remains one of the more unusual images baseball has ever produced. Though widely published, the year in which the image was made remains in question. The same could be said about Hall of Famer Sol White. Was he in this photo, or not? And where exactly was this photo taken?
The following is a deep dive on this intriguing image — one that allows us to determine a photo date of April 11, 1897, give or take a day. In studying this image we found a few answers, made a few discoveries – and even came across a runaway black bear.
If you find this kind of stuff interesting, please keep reading…
Visual documentation on this uniform:
Photo A
Dated about April 11, 1897. Photo of the Page Fence Giants, a leading African-American team of the late 1890s, taken at John Ball Park, Grand Rapids, MI. The bare trees in the background and the players wearing sweaters (under their shirts) tell us this picture was taken early in the baseball season.
The players posed with the fencing product of their sponsor, the Page Woven Wire Fence Co., of Adrian, MI. The team played for four years under the Page Fence banner, from 1895 to 1898. Over this time the roster consisted of a core group of players that changed little, with a few exceptions. The uniform also remained generally the same each year. At first glance, these factors make it difficult to accurately date photos of this team.
Determining the date.
To arrive at an approximate date of April 11, 1897 for photo A, we began by examining the players who appeared in the photo — and those who did not.
The players in photo A can be identified as follows. From left: Joe Miller (95-98), Charlie Grant? (96-98), George Wilson (95-98), William Binga (95-98), Pete Burns (95-98), (Gus Parsons, mgr), unidentified, Grant Johnson (95-98), George Taylor (95-98), Billy Holland (95-97) and John Patterson (95, 97, 98). Player IDs based on the 1896 photo of this team, and from various other sources including seamheads.com. Years players with team based on 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 John Thorn, Our Game, October 3, 2022.
Eliminating 1896 – thanks to John Patterson.
The appearance of third baseman/outfielder John Patterson in photo A allows us to immediately narrow the date range for photo A. Patterson stood at far right in the detail view below.
Detail view of photo A, from left, George Taylor, Billy Holland and John Patterson.
Available box scores tell us that Patterson played for the Page Fence Giants in 1895, 1897 and 1898 — but not in 1896. That year Patterson played for the Cuban Giants, another top African-American touring team. The Washington Evening Times on February 26, 1896, stated that Patterson had been “re-engaged” by the Cuban Giants for the 1896 season, and the following month the Harrisburg Daily Independent on March 19, 1896, listed Patterson as the starting left fielder for the Cubans in a published roster. Available box scores from April and May 1896 list Patterson as the left fielder and third baseman for the team. Lastly, the Washington Evening Times on May 23, 1896, listed the Cuban Giants roster with nicknames for each player. Patterson was described as “Nebraska Fire Wind John Patterson, third base.” His appearance in photo A eliminates 1896 as a possible date for this image.
Sidebar: Do the uniforms hold any clues?
Yes, quite a few. The players wore dark uniforms in photo A with the full team name spelled out across the shirt. This uniform was very similar to one shown in a team photo from the previous year, an image taken in May 1896. When comparing the two photos, the shirt lettering in photo A seemed to be slightly darker in tone than the lettering in the 1896 team photo.
This tonal difference is apparent in the uniform worn by Patterson in photo A, see detail view above. The letters on Patterson’s uniform were noticeably lighter in tone when compared to other players in this photo. It is likely Patterson was wearing the 1896 uniform in photo A. The remaining nine men in photo A wore a new uniform, one with darker lettering.
No written description of the 1897 uniform has been found. However, this tonal difference may suggest that the 1897 uniform featured red letters, while, according to a newspaper account, the 1896 uniform had gold letters.
A few placket perusals.
Other features of the uniform in photo A reveal additional differences from the uniform of 1896. See the side-by-side comparison below.
Two images of pitcher Joe Miller. Left, detail view from the May 1896 Page Fence Giants team photo, and right, detail view from photo A.
Clearly, the team wore different cap styles in each photo. In the photo at left (1896), Miller wore a pillbox-style cap with two horizontal bands. In the photo at right (photo A), he wore a newsboy-style cap. Now look closely at the lettering on the shirt.
Note how the word “Giants” crossed the button placket in each photo (see red arrows). In the photo at left, the “A-N” was positioned on the placket and the “T-S” was sewn onto the shirt pocket. In the photo at right, only the “N” was positioned on the placket and only the “S” was on the pocket (causing the word “Giants” to be off-centered on the shirt). Based on these differences, we can conclude that the uniform worn in photo A was not the same as worn in the 1896 team photo.
Another detail view of photo A. At right, pitcher George Wilson, who like Joe Miller (above), held a baseball to signify his position. The player at left wore his fielder’s glove in this photo. The identity of this player at left has been a point of confusion when dating this photo, see more below.
Eliminating 1895 — thanks to Sol White’s ears.
Often the year of 1895 has been applied to photo A. Author Mitch Lutzke, the leading authority on this team, has noted that “both the Adrian, MI, Library and the Lenawee County, MI, Historical Society listed this photo as [taken] in 1895.” In some cases, this date has been attributed by the possible identity of Hall of Fame player Sol White, claimed to be second from left in photo A. Lutzke adds that if the identity of White is correct, then this “places the photo from July to October 1895,” the period in which White was a member of the team. However as stated, the trees in the background tell us that photo A was taken early in the season. Furthermore, the facial analysis below seems to prove that Sol White was not the player in question in photo A.
The facial analysis above comes from Mark Fimoff, SABR 19th-century Pictorial Committee. At left, Sol White. At right, the player thought to be White, second from left in photo A. Fimoff writes, “Sol White (left) had very distinctive pointy ear tops when viewing his face from the front. The player in question (right) does not, therefore he cannot possibly be Sol White (see red arrows). Additionally the overall shapes of the respective ears and the degree to which they stick out from the head are distinctly different.” With White seemingly disproven, the identity for the mystery player could be Charlie Grant, see more comparisons below.
Facial analysis of Charlie Grant. This study compares a detail view from photo A at left to three other known photos of Grant. Though not conclusive, the player in question in photo A was most likely Charlie Grant. Grant played with the Giants from 1896 to 1898, and was listed in three known box scores from April 1897.
Eliminating late 1897 and all of 1898.
Two players who were NOT included in photo A also help to define the date. Available box scores tell us that players Chappie Johnson and Sherman Barton both joined the team in mid-season 1897. The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer on June 11, 1897, reported that Johnson “of this city, has signed a contract to play with the Page Fence Giants this summer. He will join them in Newark probably next week.” According to available box scores, Johnson appeared in a game on July 22 at Dixon, IL, and Barton on August 17, 1897. Both were fixtures on the team for the following season of 1898 and neither appeared in photo A. This narrows the possible date for photo A and suggests a range of April 1897 to early June 1897.
Determining where the photo was taken.
To further determine when photo A was taken, we have to determine where it was taken. Several publications have listed John Ball Park in Grand Rapids, MI, as the location of photo A. The park was formed on land donated to the city of Grand Rapids by local pioneer and lawyer, John Ball (1794-1884). The park opened in April 1892. Can we confirm this was the location of photo A?
Detail view of photo A, showing two unique elements behind the players. Letter A indicated a sandy bluff amongst the trees and letter B indicated an arched structure. These two elements can confirm that John Ball Park was indeed the setting for photo A. See more below.
Dated circa 1909. Postcard view of John Ball Park, apparently showing a floral clock located on the hillside beyond the pond. Much clearer was the sandy bluff amongst the trees (see red letter A). This land feature matched that shown in photo A and confirmed that the Page Fence Giants were photographed at the park.
Dated 1905, postcard view of “Michigan,” a monument at John Ball Park. According to Grand Rapids in Vintage Postcards 1890-1940 by Thomas R. Dilley, the structure was originally built for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago and “exhibited various mineral resources from the state of Michigan.” It seemingly also included a moose head by the time it was relocated to the park. The monument appeared in the background of photo A (see red letter B) and confirms that the Page Fence Giants were photographed at the park. Thanks to Ed Morton for locating this postcard image.
Determining the date of April 11, 1897 — give or take.
Now that we have confirmed where photo A was taken, we can next determine when it was taken. The Page Fence Giants toured mainly through Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, using their own rail car to travel from city to city. They rarely played in Adrian MI, the home base of their sponsor. The Giants played against professional, collegiate and local teams during the season, including some African-American teams. As stated above, the bare trees and the sweaters worn by the players would suggest an early spring game. Question: did the Page Fence Giants play in Grand Rapids at the start of the 1897 season?
The answer is yes. Newspaper reports tell us that the 1897 season started for the Giants on April 3 in Columbus, OH, and included a stop in Grand Rapids to play the Western League team there on April 11. The Ft. Wayne Journal-Gazette reported on April 13 that “Grand Rapids […] fell victims to the Giants Sunday [April 11], being completely fooled by [George] Wilson, who is one of the best pitchers in the country.” Based on available information, the team played in Springfield, OH, on April 9 and in Ft. Wayne, IN, on April 13. Therefore photo A could have been taken in Grand Rapids on any day during the three-day period of April 10 to April 12 — plenty of time to set up and photograph the promotional photo.
One mystery, unsolved.
Another detail view of photo A. Left, unidentified, and right, Grant Johnson.
Knowing the likely date when this photo was taken can now help us identify this unknown player, well, sort of. The unidentified man held a baseball. Like Miller and Wilson (shown above), this signified he was a pitcher. Unfortunately, available newspaper reports and box scores from the beginning of the 1897 season tell us the Giants were using two new pitchers at this time, Robert Shaw and Ed Wood(s). Newspaper reports tell us that Shaw agreed to join the Giants in December 1896 and that he pitched in games on April 3, April 7 and April 21, and played the outfield on April 23. Wood played for the team in May 1897, possibly replacing Shaw on the roster. Based on this, the unidentified player was most likely Robert Shaw. We’ve asked around and no reference photos seem to exist for either player. Know of one?
So, why Grand Rapids?
When John Ball Park opened in Grand Rapids in 1892, the Grand Rapids Herald reported on April 17 that “a collection of animals has been placed in the park. There are eight coons, three deer, a colony of squirrels, eagles, owls, hawks, crows, etc.” The following year the park had become the unofficial city zoo with the addition of a black bear, an alligator and a stork, among other wildlife. The Herald on May 15, 1893, called the bear “a mighty good fellow,” being “genial, sociable and democratic.” This despite the fact that he was bound by a chain “over ten feet long.”
Though no reports have been found, it is likely the Page Woven Wire Fence Company had been hired to secure the animals in their pens at the John Ball Park Zoo. When the baseball team played in Grand Rapids on April 11, 1897, the promotional opportunity was too good to pass up. The photographer of photo A is unknown.
Circa 1910. Another vintage post card of John Ball Park, this one showing “Billy,” a buck deer restrained by what was possibly fencing from the Page Fence Company. An ad by the Page Fence Company in 1896 stated that the fencing provided “the idea of permanency.” A testimonial ad from 1898 stated that “the fence is woven wire, […] two men can put up a mile a day.” However, several newspaper reports from 1897 suggested that possibly the product was no match for the black bear at the park.
About a month before photo A was taken, the Chicago Chronicle on March 19, 1897, reported that “Jack, the bear that forms one of the attractions at John Ball Park, has made a desperate attempt to secure his freedom. He scaled the high picket fence around his enclosure and was galloping towards the woods” before he was captured and “safely landed in his pen.” Jack was described as “the favorite member of the John Ball park.” Unfortunately, Jack escaped again in late November 1897 and was on the loose for days in Grand Rapids. According to the Chronicle, the bear was shot dead on December 2 when the animal charged towards a park ranger who was trying to secure him. When Jack “started for the park man on all fours on a run,” he was shot three times and “tumbled over dead.”
The Page Fence Giants once stood here.
Current view of John Ball Park in Grand Rapids, MI, from approximately the same location as where photo A was taken. The Page Fence Giants once stood here. (Maybe Jack the bear did, too.) Today the park still functions as the city zoo. Image from Google Maps, captured November 2022.
Thanks for your time. — Craig
Written documentation on this uniform:
August 1897: “Great pains had been taken to advertise the games all about the surrounding county. The attractive posters of the Giants had also been generously distributed.” From the Traverse City (MI) Morning Record, August 24, 1897. This report was made after the Page Fence Giants cancelled a game to be played in Traverse City. Instead the team chose to play a second game in Manistee, MI, where they believed the gate receipts would be greater. Is it possible the “attractive poster” included photo A?
Team genealogy: 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
Rendering posted: October 19, 2023
Diggers on this uniform: Ed Morton, Mitch Lutzke,