Vernon County Historical Society

10/28/2026

The South Ridge baseball team formed in 1939 when kids from two country schools, Nerison and Brown, decided to join forces. When they started out, they were mostly 12 and 13 year olds, had no uniforms or spiked shoes, and only had two balls to practice and play with. They faced their share of challenges in the first few years, only winning a handful of games and being the only team in the league to wear bib overalls and farm shoes to play. Art Thiege, the South Ridge catcher, recalled how his mother used to pad his glove with beefsteak wrapped in cloth, so catching the ball didn't hurt as much!

Despite their humble beginnings, the team grew quickly. Eight years after its founding, in 1947, the South Ridge baseball team won the Vernon County League Championship with 17 straight victories! In 1948, the team raised $8000 to install lights in Esofea Park, where they practiced, making the park the first lighted ball field in all of Vernon County.

Hopefully some of you in the C**n Valley/Esofea area can give the Brewers some of your Championship luck tonight!

(Photo and info from an article written by Dorothy Jasperson, published in the Westby Times, 11-2-2000. If you want to learn more about the South Ridge baseball team, we have a lot more where this came from in our archives, including an entire book on the team, written by Jean Thiege Marck.)

10/27/2026

What a game last night! Here is some more baseball history to get you in the mood for the next game.

Pictured here is the Mount Tabor baseball team in 1910. They were a fully integrated team.

At this time, professional baseball was firmly segregated - not by any official rule, but by an unspoken "gentleman's agreement." Other non-white athletes were allowed in the Major Leagues, such as Native American and Native Hawaiian players, but Black players specifically were excluded from the sport. A handful of Negro National Leagues existed throughout the 1920s-1940s, but it wasn't until the 1946 season, when Jackie Robinson signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers, that baseball's "color line" was considered officially broken and African American players were able to join the Major Leagues.

You might see a few recognizable names in this photo! Pictured here are:
Back row: Stub Boldon, Berlie Revels, Sherman Newlun, Sandy Butcher, Greg Jeffries, Marvin Shivers.
Front row: June Revels, Mark Jeffries, Herbert Shivers, Alga Shivers, Ed Shivers.

10/24/2026

10/23/2026

If you're hyped about the World Series and want to learn about all things baseball, we've got you covered! Vernon County has a rich baseball history - so much so that we don't just have a single folder about it in our archives, but an entire file box! There's too much to fit in one post, so keep an eye on our page as we plan to post more Vernon County baseball history for you next week.

For now, though, here is a photo of Viroqua's baseball team in 1888, and a little bit about the early history of baseball in Viroqua.

Viroqua's first baseball club was formed in April, 1872. They soon dubbed themselves the Prairie City Base Ball Club of Viroqua, and played their first game against an outside team on June 6, 1872. They traveled to "Hillsborough" to play against the Excelsiors, and had nothing but good things to say about the people there: "All hands were taken charge of and treated in the most hospitable manner by the people, and the boys appreciate the kindness shown them by the highest opinion in the world of the Hillsborough people, whom they pronounce to be the finest people they know of."

Pictured here in the 1888 team are:
Back row: Arba Morrison, Ed Lake, Will Lockington (outfield), R. W. Baldwin, Otto H. Brown, Frank Williams (outfield), Orton
Middle row: Harry Adams (scorekeeper), Russell (manager)
Bottom row: John Chase, Will McKittrick (catcher), Will Blake (pitcher)

10/23/2026

this weekend!

10/13/2026

Back in stock! $25 each

10/12/2026

Open today, 11AM to 4PM, and honoring Indigenous Peoples' Day!

10/07/2026

Our October genealogy class will explore the topic of immigrants. On Thursday, October 8, at 10AM, at the Vernon County Museum and History Center, Karen Sherry will lead the class in an exploration of immigration records and how they can be useful in learning about your family history.

New students are always welcome to join the class. Vernon County Historical Society members attend for free, and non-members are asked to pay $5 per session.

(pictured is The "Hannah Parr", which brought immigrants from Norway to the U.S. in 1868)

10/05/2026