Up in smoke

This is how the baseball field on Harrisburg’s City Island looks in the early 1900s before a three-alarm fire 117 years ago today barbeque portions of the ballpark.

According to longtime Harrisburg firefighter, historian and author Dave Houseal, the players’ clubhouse and the home of groundskeeper Charles W. Towsen go up in smoke in the 1909 blaze, as are the uniforms and equipment belonging to the amateur Harrisburg Athletic Club.

Estimated damage cost is $2,500. That would be approximately $81,300 in today’s dollars.

The nighttime fire attracts crowds lining both banks of the Susquehanna River and serves as a harbinger of things to come for the Class B Tri-State League Harrisburg Senators, who in 1909 stumble to a 49-65 record after going 80-47 in 1908.

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