Cherished memorabilia from Perry County's past baseball and softball teams are on display at the Lutheran Heritage Center

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- None of them ever played in the Major Leagues or even made a splash in the minors. Even the most ardent baseball historian would have trouble identifying players with names like Ernst Oberndorfer, Herbert Klaus and Robert Gemeinhardt.

But those men, along with many others who played as far back as 100 years ago, are being remembered with a new exhibit, "Play Ball: Baseball and Softball in East Perry County, Missouri," at the Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum in Altenburg.

"The exhibit has a lot of heart," said Carla Jordan, executive director of the museum. "The sport's history here is important, and most people may not be aware of it. We'd love for people to come and see what we have."

The exhibit is a tribute to the county's baseball past, with uniforms, equipment and documents from bygone eras on display along with vintage photographs of teams and players. The exhibit also links the sports history of towns and communities such as Altenburg, Frohna, Farrar and Longtown.

"Men in those towns created teams and organized a small league in the early 1900s," said Fred Eggers, a retired Farrar accountant who helped create the exhibit. "The earliest team on record was in Frohna in 1905. They didn't have a nickname or anything; they were simply the Frohna baseball team."

The Frohna baseball team played against other teams that sprang up in the county, like the Farrar Reds, who were one of the first uniformed teams. The Reds also had a non-player by the name of Walter Eggers, who was one of the first to introduce official scorekeeping in those early games.

"Walter Eggers was my father," Fred Eggers said. "He later became a probate judge."

The teams of that era continued to play until about the time of World War I. What Fred Eggers calls the "golden era" of Perry County baseball started in the 1920s with the East Perry County League, which lasted until America's entry into World War II.

"My father became the manager of the Farrar Ramblers in 1921, and he managed them for almost 20 years," Fred Eggers said. "Baseball was the most popular attraction around. There were the Ramblers, the Altenburg Aces and the Brazeau baseball team, among others. Sometimes dad's team would play against the Cape Jungle Giants."

In 1946, there was a second rebirth of baseball in east Perry County with the founding of the Perry County Baseball League. In what could be attributed to a post-war spirit and enthusiasm, there were at least 10 teams in the league, including those from Cape Girardeau County locales such as Pocahontas, Friedheim and Old Appleton.

"They played from spring into October," Fred Eggers said. "They played about 20 games and had a playoff to decide the league champion."

By the 1950s, however, the crowds -- reported to be as many as 600 people for some games -- began to taper off. Television was a culprit, and some spectators preferred to watch night softball games instead of baseball.

"We even had a married women's softball league until the early 1960s," said Gerard Fiehler, a retired Altenburg mechanic who now works at the museum. "I remember watching my mother play. She was always in the infield and wore pedal-pushers and a blouse."

The blouse Fiehler's mother wore, with "Altenburg" emblazoned across the back, is on display at the museum.

The teams in Perry County that didn't disband in the 1950s became part of the Bi-State League. Fred Eggers played in the early 1960s for the Farrar Ramblers junior team, and by his own admission he wasn't very good. But his old uniform with its share of stitches is part of the exhibit.

"Some games, I didn't even play," he said. "But if you were a good enough junior player, you could move up and play with the older guys."

The Bi-State League pressed on throughout the 1960s, but by the early 1970s, organized baseball in Perry County was gone for good.

"People were doing their own thing by then," Fiehler said. "Farming was less widespread, and transportation to go other places was more common. When the teams faded away for good, nobody gave them much thought."

Enter Carla Jordan.

"I grew up in Baxter Springs, Kan., where Mickey Mantle played for the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids," Jordan said. "My father coached in the Babe Ruth League World Series. I grew up around ballparks."

When Jordan became executive director of the Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum eight years ago, she wanted to create an exhibit that honored east Perry County's baseball past. Assembling the necessary memorabilia took time.

"When we started, all we had was a 1960s Altenburg Aces uniform and a 1905 photograph of the Frohna team," she said. "But over time we've accumulated enough items for visitors to get a feel for the teams and players of times past. We're proud of it."

"Play Ball: Baseball and Softball in East Perry County, Missouri" at the Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum will be on display through the East Perry Community Fair in September. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily but will be closed Memorial Day. Admission is free. For more information, contact the museum at 573-824-6070.

klewis@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

75 Church St., Altenburg, MO