What Happened To A Bronze Memorial Plaque To Christy Mathewson?

It’s an historical artifact that seems quite self-explanatory.

Yet, when I first encountered this photograph there was no slug on the back explaining the setting or other identifiers.

A general internet search did not provide any clues. And proving once again that AI is worthless on millions of situations, Google was only able to transcribe words on the memorial which did not need transcribing as they are quite legible.

My assumption was that this bronze memorial plaque was once located at Christy Mathewson’s home field: The Polo Grounds of the New York Giants. If so what became of this memorial? Surely it would be preserved somewhere after the demolition of the Polo Grounds in 1964.

This is why you can never assume. I was completely wrong.

After many different queries searching various newspaper archives:

Mathewson Memorial
A tablet was unveiled on Friday at the National League Baseball Park, in Boston, in memory of Christy Mathewson, the famous pitcher. The tablet is pictured, and members of the Mathewson family are shown in the background. In the picture are Christy Mathewson Jr. (without hat), Mrs. Mathewson, wife of the famous player, with hand on flag; Gilbert Mathewson father of Christy, and Mrs. Meyer, of Louisburg, PA, sister of Mrs. Mathewson credit: International News Photos May 28, 1926

The reason this memorial was not in New York, but Boston, was that at the time of his death, Mathewson was President of the Boston Braves.

Our photograph above is cropped.  Two of Christy Mathewson’s sisters are present but unidentified. Besides Mathewson’s widow Jane Stoughton Mathewson, their son and Christy’s father – who is who?  This lower quality photo from The Boston Daily Globe shows  a woman to the left of Gilbert Matewson who may be Margaret Meyer. or Edith Mathewson, or Jane Mathewson French.

Also in attendance but not visible are baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis and National League President John Heydler.

The Best Pitcher Ever?

To hear Mathewson’s contemporaries talk and write about him, they speak of him as a great person and an even better pitcher. Looking at Mathewson’s playing record confirms the superb on field performance. Mathewson was one of the greatest pitchers of the early 20th century with a 373-188 record and a 2.13 ERA.

How famous was Mathewson? At Boston’s South Postal Annex the clerks received a letter addressed with nothing other than a large six and Boston, MA penned on the envelope.

The letter was successfully delivered to Christy Mathewson whose nickname was “Big Six.”

After his playing career Mathewson, managed the Cincinnati Reds, He left baseball to enlist in World War I and was commissioned a Captain in the Army’s Chemical Warfare Division. In France Mathewson got influenza and was exposed to mustard gas during a training exercise.

Mathewson also contracted tuberculosis, possibly from his brother several years before. Mathewson died at Saranac Lake, NY on October 7, 1925 at the age of 45.

An Old-Timer’s Game

The attendance at the May 28 game was a little over 3,000 with the entire gate going to the Christy Mathewson Memorial Fund at Saranac Lake to aid World War I tuberculosis victims.

Before the regular game between the Giants and Braves, a contingent of old-timer’s from the Giants played the Braves regulars in a 4 and a half inning game. The Braves had former pitcher Dick Rudolph and catcher Fred Mitchell as their battery but otherwise played their current players. The Giants were led by 55-year-old pitcher and future Hall-of Famer “Iron Man” Joe McGinnity. Newspaper columnists commented that McGinnity still had a very lively arm.

Other participating players were Roger Bresnahan, Fred Tenney, Art Devlin, Olaf Hendrickson, Hugh Duffy, Freddie Parent, Dave Shean, Bill Sweeney, and Mike Lynch and Jack Ryan who replaced McGinnity and Bresnahan. The Braves defeated the Giants old-timers 4-3.

In the regular game, the lowly Braves prevailed as well, defeating the Giants 5-3 in cold conditions.

The Memorial Plaque

So where is the Mathewson bronze memorial plaque which was mounted to the right wing of the grandstand?

That is still a mystery.

After the Braves moved from Boston to Milwaukee in 1953 the stadium was purchased by Boston University on July 30, 1953. The ballpark at Commonwealth Avenue at Babcock Street was demolished in phases between 1955 and 1960. The grandstand was razed in 1960.  However some portions of the baseball field and its structures including the right field pavilion with 9,400 seats remain as part of Boston University’s Nickerson Field sports complex. The clubhouse locker room and showers under the third base stands was spared with plans to later demolish it. Whether they did renovate or demolish is unclear.

In The Boston Globe of October 27, 1997 a reader from Cromwell CT queried Ask The Globe of what became of Mathewso’s plaque. The Globe’s reply, “The plaque has not been recovered.”

Was it simply sold for scrap? Is it possible this large and heavy tablet is in somebody’s home collection? If so others have seen it.

Or it is more likely sitting in someone’s garage, basement or attic gathering dust?