Throwback Thursday - 1915: K of C baseball team in Southie

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Pere Marquette Council No. 271 baseball team, Boston, Mass., 1915.

Local councils hosted a range of spiritual and social activities in the early 20th century. From Communion Breakfasts, to lecture series, to choral clubs to council teams – including baseball – Knights enjoyed fraternizing with like-minded Catholics. Some of the local councils fielded highly competitive baseball teams—Pere Marquette was notably one of these.

Council No. 271 had not just a competitive team, but one looking for the biggest challenges they could locate. In the July, 1915 issue of the Knights’ magazine Columbiad, the council issued their challenge:

“Pere Marquette Council of South Boston is said to have the fastest baseball team representing the Order in Greater Boston. The boys have already won six of the seven games played this season. Manager King is anxious to arrange a game, or a series of games, to be played in New York with any team representing the Order in the Knights of Columbus League, during the week of Labor Day. Teams interested write Pere Marquette Council, No. 271, South Boston, Mass.”

This photograph is a gift of the family of Bernard J. McDonnell, member and manager of the 1915 Pere Marquette Council baseball team.

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