We first encountered the Delaware County Vintage Baseball Association on our library tour in Summer 2024. Posters for the Mountain Athletic Club, Bovina Dairymen, and Delhi Polecats were present on bulletin boards and front doors of libraries across the county. These teams play baseball by 19th century rules in period attire, inspired in part by the informal “town ball” games that farmers and laborers played in their communities. The players educate the public on the regional history of the sport during free-to-attend ballgames. 

Ash has historically been the preferred tree for crafting baseball bats. The wood has springy resilience due to its distinct grain structure and density. As emerald ash borer takes down mature ash throughout the U.S., one of countless impacts is that bat companies are running out of usable material. Ash wood bats may cease to be produced, like furniture crafted from American chestnut. More than antique, ash bats are becoming contemporary artifacts of a disappearing species.