London Tecumsehs

The historic London Tecumsehs were a professional men's baseball team in London, Ontario, Canada, that were first formed in 1868 — a merger of the Forest City Base Ball Club and the London Base Ball Club — which, according to George Railton's 1856 London directory, consisted of officers J.K. Brown, Dr. J. Wilkinson and J.D. Dalton and 22 players who practiced twice a week on the military grounds (today's Victoria Park). They were named for Shawnee chief Tecumseh.

Originally, the Tecumsehs also played their home games at the military reserve in Victoria Park, before moving to the old fairgrounds on the block just northeast of Victoria Park, bounded by today's Pall Mall Street on the north, Wellington Street on the west, Central Avenue on the south and Waterloo Street on the east.

An article in The New York Times from 1875 reports that "The Tecumseh Baseball Club, of London, Ontario, beat the Ætnas, of Detroit, the champions of Michigan, at London, Ontario, yesterday. Score, 15 to 6." This game in 1875 would have been played at the above-mentioned old fair grounds in London.

Then in 1877, the Tecumsehs moved to Tecumseh Park (today's Labatt Park) in the then-London suburb of Petersville, also known as London West.

During the 1930s, the London Tecumsehs were a men's hockey team playing in the International Hockey League, playing their home games at the now-demolished London Arena at Bathurst and Ridout streets in London, Ontario.

Today, the name remains in use by numerous youth baseball teams in London, Ontario, a softball team in London, and also a vintage base ball team whose home field is at Fanshawe Pioneer Village, a living history museum in London, Ontario.

Adapted from the British game of rounders — and by extension, cricket — the game of base ball or "townball" became popular in the early 19th century in Southwestern Ontario (then Canada West or Upper Canada), New York State and New England.

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