Cherry: New film, SABR member book highlight 19th-century African American baseball team, Page Fence Giants

From Dan Cherry at the Adrian Daily Telegram on May 18, 2018, with SABR member Mitch Lutzke:

While working on a research project on Williamston several years ago, Mitch Lutzke said he came across an intriguing piece of information about Adrian.

Research on Williamston, which is near Lansing, establishing a baseball association in 1895 showed the organization was trying to bring in the “talented Page Fence Giants,” an African-American baseball team from Lenawee County.

That snippet of information led to the publication earlier this year of a book dedicated to the team — “The Page Fence Giants: A History of Black Baseball’s Pioneering Champions.”

At the same time, a filmmaker at Adrian College was exploring the team and its existence between 1895 and 1898 in a progressive town during an era of discrimination.

The two came together while working on their projects and are scheduled to be in Adrian at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19, at the Lenawee County Historical Museum at 110 E. Church St. Michael Neal’s 45-minute film is part of four education events that day. The film includes an interview with Lutzke.

Read the full article here: http://www.lenconnect.com/news/20180518/film-book-highlight-19th-century-african-american-baseball-team-from-lenawee-county



Originally published: May 23, 2018. Last Updated: May 23, 2018.