This flannel baseball uniform from the old Jamestown Municipal Baseball League was donated to The Fenton History Center archives in 2008.
The Municipal League was comprised of teams for little leaguers to adults. Thanks to Randy Anderson, president of the Chautauqua County Sports Hall of Fame, the “Muny League” teams were sponsored by different businesses and factories in Jamestown. This uniform would have probably been from the men’s league sponsored by the Noah’s Ark Store in Brooklyn Square.
Volunteer Researcher Al Johnson continued to research the topic of the Noah’s Ark team and found an article in The Evening Journal from October 3, 1936:
“Noah’s Ark and Hope’s Windows teams of the Class AA Jamestown Baseball Association, meet in the fifth and deciding game of their post season championship series at Oriole Field on Buffalo Street Extension (on) Sunday at 10 a.m. with the 1936 diamond title of the city at stake.”
According to The Evening Post Journal on October 5, 1936, Noah’s Ark won the game, and the 1936 championship.
One could find anything they wanted in Noah’s Ark. The store began as an auto parts shop, but later sold many different items. Fellow Fenton volunteer researcher Al Johnson remembers going into the store to look at .22 rifles. He said he was fascinated with them, and they were just out on display on the counter for anyone (children included!) to look at or pick up for examination.
The store was first listed in the Jamestown City Directory in 1930 at 10 North Main Street with Harold L. Birnbaum, Branch Manager. At some point in time the store moved across the street to 1 North Main Street. In 1940, N. Fagerstrom was manager and in 1950, John H. Farm was manager of “Auto Accessories”. From 1960 on, Siegfried P. Fagerstrom was listed as the manager.
The last year for Noah’s Ark was in 1972, as urban renewal came to Brooklyn Square.
Thank you to Randy Anderson, Janet Wahlberg, Al Johnson and Art Osterdahl for their help with this article.
