Babylon in Suffolk County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Cuban Giants
Birthplace of the famous
Cuban Giants
First Professional Black Baseball Team
1885
Babylon Village Historic and Preservation Society
Erected 2010 by Babylon Village Historic and Preservation Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Sports.
Location. 40° 41.894′ N, 73° 19.866′ W. Marker is in Babylon, New York, in Suffolk County. Marker can be reached from Trolley Line Road east of Argyle Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Babylon NY 11702, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Babylon World War I Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Captain Joel Cook Monument (approx. ¼ mile away); Babylon's Heros World War I Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); Robert Moses (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Babylon Village Fountain (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Babylon Library (approx. 0.4 miles away); Babylon Town Hall (approx. 0.4 miles away); Babylon Railroad Company Trolley Route (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Babylon.
More about this marker. The marker is in the northwest corner of Argyle Park. To find the marker, when facing the park from Trolley Line Road, follow the path along the east side of the lake (i.e. go counter-clockwise to the lake), and it is less than 200 ft. down the path.
The Argyle Hotel was torn down in 1904.
Also see . . .
1. Cuban Giants (Wikipedia.org). The Cuban Giants were the first African-American professional baseball club....The team was originally formed in 1885 at the Argyle Hotel, a summer resort in Babylon, New York. The team was so skilled in the game, and achieved victory over so many of the nearby amateur "white" teams that they attracted the attention of a promoter, Walter Cook. To appeal to a broader audience, Cook styled them the "Cuban Giants", although there were rarely (if ever) any Cubans on the Cuban Giants. The team remained one of the premier Negro league teams for nearly 20 years....The team went on to become the "world colored champions" of 1887 and 1888, and spawned imitators. (Submitted on October 18, 2016.)
2. Root of black pro baseball celebrated in Babylon (Newsday, April 17, 2010). Walking back the story of black baseball to its precise origin is no easy chore after more than a century of mostly oral history and sometimes conflicting bits of written record. But Sunday, Babylon Village officials will mark the approximate spot where members of a long-gone resort hotel staff are believed to have formed the first all-black professional team in 1885.... (Submitted on October 18, 2016.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 18, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 647 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 18, 2016, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.