Contributed by Patten Free Library
Description
Bath's roller polo team, the Alamedas, were named after the multipurpose hall that doubled as a skating rink.
A version of polo played by men on roller skates, the game was invented in Rhode Island in the early 1880s and reached the height of its popularity in the next decade.
Fred D. Hill, a Bath native who attended Cornell University, brought the game to the city where it became very popular. The original players for the Alamedas were James and Eddie Mooney, Nick McGilvray, Walter Murtaugh, and John Burgess.
Some of the Bath players went on to play in the National Roller Polo League, including Billy Leydon, shown here in the back row on the right. In February 1900 a Bath newspaper reported that William P. Leydon was on his way to Europe with 10 other "crack poloists" to try to introduce the game to England.
The Alamedas were frequently the champions of the Maine League, but changing members and changing fashions contributed to a diminishing interest in the sport by the end of the 1890s.
About This Item
- Title: Alameda Roller Polo Players, Bath, ca. 1895
- Creation Date: circa 1895
- Subject Date: circa 1895
- Location: Bath, Sagadahoc County, ME
- Media: Photographic print
- Dimensions: 27 cm x 19.7 cm
- Local Code: PFL PC 9,51
- Collection: Patten Free Library--Jacqueline McMann Sylvester Collection
- Object Type: Image
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Theaters--Maine--Bath
- Sports & recreation facilities--Maine--Bath
- Roller polo
- Sports--Maine--Bath
- Athletes--Maine--Bath
- Clubs--Maine--Bath
- Organizations--Maine--Bath
People
- Burgess, John
- Donnell, Harry H.
- Dunning, Holman
- Hill, Fred D.
- Leydon, William P.
- McGilvray, Nick
- Mooney, Eddie
- Mooney, James
- Murtaugh, Walter
- Owen, Henry W.
Other Keywords
For more information about this item, contact:
Patten Free Library33 Summer Street, Bath, ME 04530
(207) 443-5141
Website
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