There is still a huge amount of regional black baseball history out there to be unearthed. Numerous small (and usually short-lived) black baseball circuits were scattered around the country that went virtually unnoticed in the national (and even local) press at the time, and have been almost completely forgotten since. The year 1921, for example, produced a bumper crop of small black baseball leagues across the south. I know of at least four—the Negro Southern League, the Negro Southeastern League, and the granddaddy of them all, the Texas Colored League, along with a North Carolina league that I just ran across for the first time today. From the Charlotte Observer, March 22, 1921:
I’ve found references to two of the other teams, the Charlotte Red Sox and the Spartanburg Sluggers, but have no idea how long the Blue Ridge Colored League lasted, assuming it even got off the ground. Whatever its fate, the league’s existence serves as a reminder of the now nearly invisible substratum of town teams and amateur and semi-pro ball that fed players to the big Negro league clubs.
My great grand-uncle, Charles Macarthy of Albany, Georgia, was the president of the Negro Southeastern League in 1921. He died the following year and I think the league petered out after that. Any source of more information would be welcome.
Posted by: Cliff McCarthy | December 13, 2016 at 02:06 PM
The Asheville team of the "Negro Blue Ridge league" played the Knoxville Giants on September 4, 1920 in a doubleheader at Knoxville.
The outcome is not known at this time.
Posted by: Mark Aubrey | February 6, 2013 at 07:23 PM
Clarence, I could post the photo to see if anyone knows. I haven't seen a picture of the Royal Giants, who played in the 1920s, or any box scores from their games. I *have* seen a photo of the Asheville Blues, who played in the 1940s.
Posted by: Gary Ashwill | July 10, 2011 at 11:27 AM
I have a picture of my Grandfather Aaron Brockman, with his all negro baseball team. All they have on the front of their uniforms is ASHEVILLE. I was wondering if the Asheville Roayl Giants wore uniforms like these? I'm very curious and would love more info.
Posted by: Clarence A. Comer | July 9, 2011 at 02:15 PM
An 8/14/1921 article in the Charlotte Observer has the Gastonia NC "Gaston Giants" searching for teams to play, and lightly taunting the colored Winston Giants of Winston-Salem in attempts to book games. Apparently both of these teams were scheduling games independently, implying that the league had collapsed by this point.
Posted by: Bill Mullins | March 11, 2011 at 09:43 PM