Vintage Base Ball National Festival in Gettysburg

The 2018 edition of the Gettysburg National 19th Century Base Ball Festival may have been a partial washout but that is not discouraging anyone from coming together next July 19-21 for the very special 10th Annual event in 2019!

If you are an established club and want to participate, contact us as soon as possible at info@GettysburgBaseBallFestival.com.  There are very limited spots and we are looking for national participation once again.  You are scheduled for 4 games over 2 days and we set up the schedule so there is plenty of time for sightseeing.  You will probably play against clubs you have never seen or haven’t played for a long time.  We’ll help you every step of the way if you want to come to town!

If you are a sponsor, a vendor, a member of the media, or a sutler, we’d love to hear from you.  We have all kinds of great ideas to make next year special and we want you to be part of it.  We are especially looking for Civil War era bands/musicians, Civil War era civilians (including medics, doctors, etc) as well as those who sell their 19th-century goods!  If you are a maker of uniforms, bats, caps, balls, or anything else to supply the vintage game, let us know.

If you want to partner with us in doing an event on the grounds in conjunction with us, we’d love to hear from you too.

We are looking forward to making the best 19th century base ball event in America in to a really special event for not only the fans who come out but also the participants!  We hope to hear from you!

Due to the terrible storms that came through yesterday and last night, for the safety of our fans and players, we have to cancel the festivities for Sunday. Thank you to everyone who came out yesterday in the challenging weather and we hope to see you next year in the third week of July for the 10th annual event!

The ninth edition of the Gettysburg National 19th Century Base Ball Festival kicks off this weekend with 20 clubs from all over the country converging on Adams County for this great Gettysburg Summertime Tradition!

While the main attraction is the 40 games that will take place on Saturday and Sunday at 965 Pumping Station Road using the rules of 1863, there are many other things to do during the weekend event.

Things get started at 6pm at the Gettysburg Rec Fields in the center of town with a kids clinic put on by the Gettysburg Generals vintage base ball club.  Following the clinic, the Generals with help from other clubs that are already in town, will take on the Gettysburg Little League Coaches in a game with rules and equipment from 1863.

Saturday morning games kick off at 8:30 on 5 fields and go on until about 5pm.  See players from all over America play using the same rules and customs and playing with the same style equipment and uniforms of the 1860s.

There will be many vendors there selling vintage base ball wares including bats, caps, balls and more.  There will also be local businesses set up giving out information about their companies and of course great ballpark fare for sale as well.  Of course you can bring your own picnic basket in and your own chairs and blankets to this totally free event!

Manny Sanguillen, former Pittsburgh Pirate great, will be signing autographs from 1-3pm on Saturday under the big top (appearance courtesy of Doubleday Inn, a 2018 Festival sponsor)

Also on Saturday, Lawrence Knorr, the author of Gettysburg Eddie will be in the big top signing and selling copies of his book.

Saturday night there will be a bar crawl sponsored by and benefiting LK5K.  Bracelets are $10 and available also at the Big Top.  Several Gettysburg establishments up and down Steinwehr Avenue will be providing specials for participants beginning at 5:30

Sunday morning, the games continue starting at 8:00am and continuing until about 4:30pm.  20 more games featuring clubs from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, and Rhode Island will take place throughout the day.

The event is free (donations accepted!) and parking is provided by the Gettysburg Little League (donations appreciated).  See  you there!

Beautiful weather ruled the weekend as thousands of fans and participants flocked to the 8th Annual Gettysburg National 19th Century Base Ball Festival as 22 clubs from 10 states battled in optimal conditions during a great weekend of base ball.

44 games took place over the weekend but more importantly old aquentences were renewed and new friendships formed  as over 300 players came together in Gettysburg.

A huge thank you to all of those clubs who came and played and those who umpired. Of course we couldn’t have such a great event without the help of the town’s businesses and organizations. Our great partners included Gettysburg Eddies, Destination Gettysburg, Steinwehr Ave BID, Quality Inn, Best Western, Regemental Quartermaster, Gettysburg Ghost Tours, Brewery Products, Stockbridge Sewing Works, Prowler Bats, 19thC Base Ball, Hockley O’Donell Insurance and many others.

Of course we have to thank our great friends the Schroeders for use of their great farm.  We also want to thank our friends at Gettysburg Luttle League for their assistance with parking this year and for the last 6 years  thank you all!

The results of the games are published on this site.  If your club wants to participate next year let us know  if you even have the slightest interest.  We book early so let us know.  If you want to sponsor or participate in some way let us know.  See you all next year!