Baseball—two words in the 19th century—came to New Jersey in the 1850s and grew rapidly throughout the Civil War era. Historian John G. Zinn’s lecture will trace the game’s origins in New Jersey, and point out prominent early teams and players. Mr. Zinn will also touch upon the impact of the war on the game’s development in New Jersey, how the state’s soldiers brought the new game to the battlefront, and how the early game differed from the modern game, especially regarding rules and equipment. John G. Zinn is an independent historian. He is the Chair of the New Jersey Civil War 150th Anniversary Committee and Chairman of the Board of the New Jersey Historical Society. He is the author of The Mutinous Regiment: The Thirty-third New Jersey in the Civil War, The Major League Pennant Races of 1916: The Most Maddening Baseball Melee in History (with Paul Zinn), and co-editor of a forthcoming book on Brooklyn's Ebbets Field. Admission is free and all are welcome. The program is sponsored by the Cranford Historical Society and the Cranford Public Library.
