A column in the October 20, 1857, issue of the Pantagraph suggested that it would be a good idea for some of the young men of Bloomington to form a baseball club. On May 22, 1865, the Pantagraph exclaimed, "We are glad to learn that our young men have concluded to form a Base Ball Club … [for] manly exercise in a systematic manner." The City Directory of 1866 lists the Bloomington Base Ball Club, with Henry Ewing as President and C. R. Roe, as Secretary.
In subsequent years, baseball flourished in Bloomington, with several players going on to professional careers in the major league.
This collection is comprised of newspaper clippings, mostly from local newspapers, tracing the evolution of Bloomington's baseball teams.