IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1050 
Recognizing Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as being home to the earliest known 
reference to the word ‘‘baseball’’ in the United States as well as being 
the birthplace of college baseball. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 13, 2008 
Mr. OLVER (for himself, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. 
MCGOVERN, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Ms. TSONGAS, Mr. CAPUANO, 
Mr. LYNCH, Mr. DELAHUNT, Mr. HODES, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. 
WELCH of Vermont, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. 
LANGEVIN, Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut, Mr. FARR, Mr. MICHAUD, Mr. 
COURTNEY, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. MARKEY, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. KENNEDY, 
Mr. ALLEN, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, and Mr. 
TOM DAVIS of Virginia) submitted the following resolution; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as being home to the 
earliest known reference to the word ‘‘baseball’’ in the 
United States as well as being the birthplace of college 
baseball. 
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is the home of a historic 
document discovered in Pittsfield’s archives by noted 
baseball historian John Thorn in 2004; 
Whereas the historic document is a bylaw, passed by the 
Town of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, during a town meeting 
on September 5, 1791, which states that ‘‘for the Preser-
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•HRES 1050 IH 
vation of the Windows in the New Meeting House . . . 
no Person or Inhabitant of said town, shall be permitted 
to play at any game called Wicket, Cricket, Baseball, 
Football, Cat, Fives or any other game or games with 
balls, within the Distance of Eighty Yards from said 
Meeting House’’; 
Whereas this bylaw was created to protect the windows of the 
new meetinghouse in the Town of Pittsfield, Massachu-
setts, which is currently the Congregational Church, de-
signed by renowned architect Charles Bulfinch in 1789 
and completed in 1793; 
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, through the First Home 
Plate project will commemorate being known as the home 
of the oldest known documentation of the game by erect-
ing three permanent monuments, Bat, Ball, and Glove, to 
recognize Pittsfield’s unparalleled position in baseball his-
tory; 
Whereas the monuments will highlight and represent the 
great virtues of the game that have solidified baseball as 
our national pastime; 
Whereas the virtues of baseball are innocence, youth, bridg-
ing generations, and how it parallels the great history of 
our Nation; 
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is also the home of many 
historical baseball moments; 
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is the birthplace of college 
baseball in the United States as it is the sight of the first 
intercollegiate baseball game between Amherst College 
and Williams College, which took place on July 1, 1859; 
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•HRES 1050 IH 
Whereas in 1865, Ulysses F. ‘‘Frank’’ Grant, generally con-
sidered the best African American player of the 19th cen-
tury, was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts; 
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is the home of Wahconah 
Park, an enclosed ballpark and grandstand, originally 
built in 1892 and placed on the National Historic Reg-
ister in June 2005; 
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is where in 1921 and 
1922, the Boston Red Sox played 2 exhibition games at 
Wahconah Park against the Hillies; 
Whereas Boston won the first game with a score of 10 to 9 
and the Hillies won the second with a score of 4 to 1; 
Whereas in 1922, Jim Thorpe, considered one of the most 
versatile athletes in modern sports, played baseball at 
Wahconah Park; 
Whereas in 1924, Lou Gehrig made his professional debut 
with the Hartford Senators at Wahconah Park, where he 
hit a home run into the Housatonic River; 
Whereas in 1942, future major leaguer Mark Belanger was 
born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts; 
Whereas on June 1, 1976, a recreation of the 1859 Williams 
and Amherst collegiate baseball game took place in Pitts-
field, Massachusetts; 
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, hosted a vintage baseball 
game which was broadcast on national television in 2004; 
Whereas Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 2005, welcomed the 
Pittsfield Dukes, a member of the New England Colle-
giate Baseball League, who made their second season 
debut at Wahconah Park in 2005; and 
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