On the evening of Wednesday, April 10, 1865, a group of around 25 gentlemen gathered in the accounting room of the State Printing Office near the corner of Michigan and Capitol Avenues. Amongst the noisy work of documents being reprinted for the legislature and state officials working down the road at Michigan’s Second Capitol Building, the assembled men agreed to the formation of the young capital city’s first ever base ball club – aptly named the Capital Base Ball Club of Lansing. 161 years later, the club lives on! The Historical Society of Greater Lansing welcomes members and leadership - Brian “Capitol” Page, Ben “Professor” Abreu, and Michael “Cutter” Jarema - of the current team to learn about Lansing’s vintage base ball on Thursday, July 16, at 6:30 pm at the Rogers-Carrier House.

The public is also always welcome at the club’s games. The team plays by 1864 rules. Each match starts at 1:00 pm, with warm up beginning at 12:30 pm. Matches last about 2 hours. Held at Frances Park, 2701 Moores River Dr., Lansing. Coming matches include:

Saturday, July 18, 2026 — Capital Base Ball Club of Lansing vs Eclipse Base Ball Club of Northville

Saturday, July 25, 2026 - Capital Base Ball Club of Lansing vs Rockford Stars Base Ball Club

Spectators are recommended to bring their own seating and shade if desired. Bathrooms are located in the pavillion. Games take place rain or shine. Cancellations are due to severe weather and are posted on the team’s Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/lansingcapitalsvintagebaseball).

Learn more about the Capital Base Ball Club of Lansing at https://lansingcapitalsbbc.wordpress.com/.