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Team and League History

September 10, 1911
It is reported that Bessemer is very interested in obtaining a spot in the Southeastern League. The 1911 season just completed with Anniston winning the title.

The Southeastern League is a Class D circuit that began in 1910. Last season there were six teams located in Anniston, Decatur, Gadsden, Huntsville, Rome, and Selma.

In a few weeks, league officials will be meeting to discuss numerous topics, such as expansion, increasing player numbers, and salaries.

In addition to the Marvel City, the league expects to hear from Knoxville and Pensacola.

November 6, 1911
Rumors circulate that two Birmingham men, Charlton Morgan and George Hobbart, have obtained an option to purchase and move an existing franchise to Bessemer. The two likely candidates are the Decatur and Huntsville clubs.

November 7, 1911
Morgan and Hobbart are also looking at the Selma club. Their plans still involve moving the team to Bessemer, but they would also like for their club to become a farm team of the Southern League's Birmingham Barons. The two men were in Selma last week meeting with club management.

It is believed that the Barons owner, Rick Woodward, is in favor of the Selma move. Supposedly, he is also prepared to finance some or all of the deal.

November 15, 1911
The owners of the Selma club have decided they will not be selling the franchise.

Morgan and Hobbart have turned their focus on the Decatur club, which lost money last season and reports were strong the players were never paid.

November 22, 1911
Morgan and Hobbart tour Bessemer looking at possible sites for a new baseball park. They hope to play some home games in Rickwood Field, when the Barons are on the road.

December 22, 1911
Reports are that the city of Bessemer's lack of excitement has doomed the Decatur club purchase and relocation.

January 7, 1912
Further investigation into the matter has brought out why the deal was not done. The Decatur owners wanted the new Bessemer owners to form a joint stock company for $5,000 where they would receive two-fifths of the stock in addition to the $800 purchase amount. In effect, the Decatur owners were wanting the Bessemer investors to pay them $2,800 for a franchise that should only cost $800.

Morgan and Hobbart did not feel this was a fair deal and withdrew.

January 29, 1912
The Decatur club announces it will remain in Decatur for the 1912 season.

February 11, 1912
An Ensley businessman, F. C. Monasco, announces that he has purchased the Decatur club, pending the league's approval. Monasco plans to move the team to Ensley or Bessemer.

If a vote is taken, many believe the league will push for a Bessemer location, as Ensley is too close to Rickwood Field.

Regardless of where it winds up, Monasco said he intends to be the on-field manager.

February 23, 1912
The Southeastern League announces that Monasco's bid for the Decatur club has been granted, with a new ballpark to be built in Bessemer.

Relocating the team to Bessemer allowed the league to bypass the "five mile rule" that would be insisted on by the Southern League. This rule forbids another baseball team from being based within a five mile radius of an existing Southern League team.

	Underwood Field

An new ballpark will be built between first and second avenue, around six blocks from the city center. Monasco plans to spend $1,200 to build the park and grandstand, and claims it will be one of the best Class C or D ballparks in the nation. Seating capacity will be around 2,500 fans. Installing additional temporary seating would raise the figure to 7,000.

They will have to work quickly as the first home games will be played on April 15th, 16th, and 17th.

Ticket prices will be $.25 and $.50, standard for the league.

March 3, 1912
Birmingham resident Gordon Hickman, a former pitcher in the Southern League with Shreveport and Mobile, has agreed to become Bessemer's manager.

Last season, Hickman was a pitcher in Topeka.

March 7, 1912
Monasco announces the new ballpark will be named Underwood Field, after Oscar W. Underwood.

April 1912

1912   Southeastern League

Anniston Models

Bessemer Pipemakers

Gadsden Steel Makers

Huntsville Mountaineers

Rome Romans

Selma Centralites

May 16, 1912
Two Florida businessmen say they intend to purchase the Bessemer club and move it to Pensacola.

John G. Oliver and C. F. Shad have been negotiating with Monasco for the last week and responded to a telegram asking them to come to Bessemer for a final conference. Reportedly, the franchise and all player contracts are for sale because fan support has been lacking, which has caused bills to go unpaid.

During the last home stand, less than 500 fans attended each game with less than 100 for today's game. "It has been shown, that Bessemer will not support a team and it is necessary to remove it," Monasco said.

The sale will not be final until the other members of the league vote in favor of the move.

Estimates are the team has lost $2,500 to date.

If Pensacola negotiations fall through, Monasco said he has also been contacted by representatives in Talladega and Cedartown, Georgia.

May 17, 1912
League president Hugh W. Roberts informs vice-president H. T. Bailey that he would be in charge for some time.

No reason was reported, but Roberts is leaving for Texas "indefinitely".

May 19, 1912
Oliver and Shad announce that their intention to purchase the Bessemer club have soured. Monasco wanted too much cash and demanded 45 percent of the new ownership stock.

June 7, 1912
A league director's meeting has been called in Selma to discuss the teams that are operating over the salary limit. It is believed that at least three of the teams are well above the limit, with one or two paying close to Southern League levels.

They feel that if this situation isn't rectified immediately, it could have a devastating effect on the league's survival.

June 11, 1912
Anniston's directors are threatening to immediately withdraw from the league. Their anger is directed at president Roberts and Chestnutt, the umpire who recently suspended one of Anniston's star players, Fred Wasem, for the remainder of the season. Roberts said that since Wasem attacked Chestnutt during the game, they had no other option.

June 12, 1912
It seems that Monasco is in Pensacola to gauge interest for moving the Bessemer club there.

The main sticking point is finding a suitable ballpark at a fair price to play in.

"If the people of Pensacola want league baseball, they can have it within ten days, for I will transfer my team here and they will see first-class baseball, for the Southeastern League is playing fast ball and all of the clubs are well matched. I have talked with businessmen of the city and have met with much encouragement. If they want league ball they can get it. I don't want any donations from anyone, but if they want to take stock in my club they can do so. A ballpark is what I need now, and if I can get one the Bessemer franchise will be transferred to Pensacola," Monasco said.

June 15, 1912
Monasco is now in Decatur meeting with businessmen to work out a deal to bring the club back to the city.

June 21, 1912
Southeastern League president Hugh W. Roberts announces that Monasco has surrendered the club to the league.

Roberts quickly sold the club to Bessemer businessmen, who have contracted to play the remainder of the season in Underwood Field.

One of Monasco's final acts was to offer the Bessemer club to Talladega for $2,500.

July 5, 1912
Due to dismal attendance numbers, Huntsville owners have surrendered their club to the league.

Most likely, the team will be transferred to Talladega for the remainder of the season.

July 7, 1912
It is reported that the Southeastern League is considering dropping two teams, Huntsville/Talladega and Bessemer. Neither team has had much success drawing fans.

Huntsville was recently sold to a group in Talladega but the team may never see the field there.

July 9, 1912
The Bessemer club was scheduled to be in Anniston for a series with the Models but have failed to arrive.

One report has stated that the team will withdraw from the league, while other reports say the team will be transferred to Cedartown, Georgia.

July 10, 1912
In a league meeting in Birmingham, league directors voted to continue the season with six teams.

The Bessemer club will be transferred to Cedartown and the Huntsville club will transfer to Talladega.

In a separate event, the Selma club was sold to new ownership.

Epilogue
The Southeastern League would continue to play, but only for a few weeks. On August 3rd, the league would end its 1912 season early.

The day before, the Rome club informed the league president they wanted to stop immediately. The next morning, the Selma ownership notified the league that they were quitting after that day's game was played. Adding the uncertain transfers they had just made with the Huntsville and Bessemer clubs, the league directors decided it was best to end the season immediately.

The franchises main trouble was not drawing enough paying fans to offset the high salaries they were paying to the players.
 
The league itself did not fold, as directors voted to orderly shut down the league so that it could continue next year. However, this seems unlikely due to the National Baseball Association rule that states no city owing a player money can be an active participant in organized baseball.

Selma won the first half title, and Gadsden was awarded the second half title. Consideration was given to allowing the two teams to play a championship series but neither could afford it.

As 1913 rolled around, the Southeastern League was gone. However, most of the clubs helped create the Georgia-Alabama League, which played from 1913 to 1917.

Champions of the   Southeastern League
Year	Team
1910	Knoxville Appalachians
1911	Anniston Models
1912	NO CHAMPION - League folds mid-season

	Years local team participated

			Teams of the             Southeastern League
xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx		xxx
	NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO
	Anniston Models 1911 to 1912		Asheville Moonshiners 1910		Bessemer Pipemakers 1912		Decatur Twins 1911		Gadsden Steel Makers 1910 to 1912
	NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO
	Huntsville Mountaineers 1912		Huntsville Westerns 1911		Johnson City Soldiers 1910		Knoxville Appalachians 1910		Morristown Jobbers 1910
	NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO		NEED LOGO
	Rome Hillies 1911		Rome Romans 1910; 1912		Selma Centralites 1911 to 1912		Talladega Highlanders 1912

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Last update: January 25, 2023