Jul 31, 2019 2 min read

Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village will host a vintage “base ball” game on Aug. 17 from noon to 5 p.m.

Visitors can celebrate America’s pastime as they cheer on the Somerset Frosty Sons of Thunder and the Addison Mountain Stars, who will wear vintage uniforms and play by the rules commonly used during the 1860s.

The National Association of Base-Ball Players adopted a rulebook on March 14, 1860. Its rules differ from modern rules in several ways, including: Gloves were not commonly used; players were referred to as “ballists”; a batter was called a “striker”; and a fly ball caught after one bounce resulted in the batter, or striker, being called out.

Throughout the day, Meadowcroft visitors can also step inside a wigwam in a recreated 16th-century Monongahela Indian village, watch a blacksmith forge red-hot iron in the 19th-century Meadowcroft Village, and tour the Meadowcroft Rockshelter, a National Historic Landmark and the oldest site of human habitation in North America.

The vintage “base ball” game is included with regular Meadowcroft admission.

In addition, representatives from the Frosty Sons of Thunder and Mountain Stars will throw out the first pitch at the Washington Wild Things game on the evening of Aug. 16 to kick off the weekend’s festivities.

For information, visit heinzhistorycenter.org/meadowcroft or call 724-587-3412.