Baseball, Ohio (Part 1)
(Twin City News headquarters, 1906)
Baltimore has been blessed with nearly eighty years of local newspaper coverage of the stories of our community. One such story happened seventy-one years ago, as the "Twin Cities" of Baltimore and Basil were government-directed to merge. Naming of the merged village became a contentious battle that originated during WWII and spilled over into the post-war years, culminating in 1947. (Historically, it could be argued this rivalry story actually commenced in March of 1825!) A legal resolution was court-ordered, but there remain residents today who are most willing to reopen the old wounds.
The Twin City News, founded in 1887 by Kumler and Burton, with Editor/Publisher Theodore E. Conover and Associate Editor Edna Conover, published the following article on July 17, 1947: “Court Decision On Village Name Is Unpredictable” It is possible for the Court to hand down a decision directly upon the evidence submitted in the petition to change the name of this village to Baseball, Ohio. The Court may call upon “representative” citizens of the community as witnesses in an effort to determine the general feeling in the village... [Regarding the name change] It is possible that the Court [Judge Kilbarger] may call in a disinterested judge from another county to hear the case and assist in forming a decision.
Writer's note: The court date was set for 9:00 AM on September 9, 1947, at the Fairfield County Courthouse in Lancaster, Ohio. Stay tuned!