Mystic : A Small Town from Base Ball's Yesterday

"The Civil War is finally over, and the survivors have returned to their lives to try to rebuild. There was very little time for rest and relaxation. Nothing can be truer for the people of the small country town of Mystic. However, something has come to Mystic with the survivors…a game called Base Ball. For many years the people of Mystic have indulged themselves in various kinds of stick-and-ball games…everything from cricket to rounders, to something called Muffin Ball, but none of the games were ever popular enough to become organized…until Base Ball.
As the residents of Mystic struggle establish their own Base Ball club, they discover that Base Ball is taking over the nation by storm. With a faithful group of town leaders, a retired Judge, and several veterans, Mystic finds that it is ahead of the storm, instead of getting caught up in it. As the town team forms, and a simple league with other small towns is established, the Mystic town folk enjoy watching their very own team playing this “city game” their way…making mistakes, fumbling over the bases, and arguing with…everyone, the people of Mystic become a true base ball town. Then when captain of the Drummers contacts the Mystic team with a request to come to Mystic to play a fun exhibition game on the Fourth of July, the initial thought was one of reservation…the Drummers were a traveling team of colored players. To the people of Mystic, a town that sided with the Northern Union forces, the prospect of playing a colored “barnstorming” team was cause to celebrate a game that changed the town of Mystic forever."

Peter A. Lamana I was born in 1927 in a tiny town located in the heart of the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania, Pardeesville. In 1945, after being the first in my family to graduate from high school, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. At the conclusion of World War II, I received my honorable discharge and attended Lehigh University on my GI Bill. I graduated from Lehigh in 1952, with a Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Journalism. After several years working for various newspapers, I decided to return to Lehigh and further my education. With the support of my wife Doris, and the faith of my children, I graduated in 1965 with a Doctor of Education degree, and went to work as a language arts teacher. In 1992 I retired after 32 years of education service, 25 years of which were spent as an elementary school principal. My first baseball glove was reclaimed from a refuse bin, as it was the Depression. The thumb was twisted, and hurt my hand, but it worked. Baseball has always been a constant in my life, though events of my life led me in different directions. My love of baseball was rekindled with the maturing of my sons. As they fell in love with the game, I rediscovered my love of my old friend, baseball. My inspiration for this story is the union of two of my greatest hobby interests - the history of the Civil War era and the history of early baseball.