Amongst the Middle Country Public Library’s many historical artifacts are a few that explain just how far the area has come from its pastoral roots. The picture and story below a courtesy of a collaborative effort among the librarian staff.
Baseball is considered America’s pastime, and no more so than in our own backyards.
A search of local newspapers shows that baseball was played throughout Long Island at least as early as the 1930s.
Most town fire departments, the Police Athletic League and many local businesses formed teams for fun and friendly competition. The news from the time was filled with the results of these games.
A June 1, 1934 article in the Suffolk County News noted that the team representing Centereach Fire Department played a home game against Sayville on Decoration Day (now known as Memorial Day), losing a double-header.
Major support for these games was frequently provided by fundraisers like the dance held on the evening of April 21, 1951 by Centereach’s Tordik-Diederich-Duffield VFW Post 4927. Over 200 people attended to support the backstop fund.
Beyond organized games, popup games would arise. A chance encounter between the team from Centereach and a group of U.S. soldiers who were stationed here for the day was held on the grounds behind Carl’s Tavern.
The July 26, 1939 edition of The Mid-Island Mail reported that the soldiers defeated Centereach, 6-2.
Carl’s Tavern was located on Middle Country Road in Centereach. In 1939 it was purchased and renamed the Mid Island Tavern, known to locals as the MIT well into the 1908s. It was owned and operated by the Boyle family for over four decades.
In 1940, the Centereach team got off to a great start by defeating Coram 13-1.
The team consisted of catcher, Lou Corey; first baseman, Bernard Williams; second baseman, Walt Presner; third baseman, Tony Bush; shortstop, Lou Coucinello; leftfielder, Larry Martin; centerfielder, Lou Stohr; rightfielder, Andy Schmidt and Arthur Dhuy.
The team’s manager was Centereach resident, Arthur Murray, who served as Brookhaven Town Highway Superintendent and the purchasing agent for WPA construction materials.
The date of this picture and the team name are unknown, but it most likely depicts the Centereach Fire Department Team.
Do you recognize any of the team members?
If you can identify any of these players, please reach out to the local history team at Middle Country Public Library at [email protected].
We would love to be able to fill in the blanks!
This article was updated on April 7 to correct misinformation
