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The Rochester Grangers Vintage Base Ball Club was formed in 1999 and the team is hosted and sponsored by the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm. The Grangers actually existed just after the Civil War until the late 1870s. They were part of a merchants league that included the Mechanics, and the Independents, and some teams survived well into the Twentieth Century. The current Grangers team play the game as gentlemen and theatrics have become an integral part of their play. Fines for ANY ungentlemanly act are levied and the team makes extensive efforts to mingle with cranks to explain the game and display equipment. Each player, the tally keeper, and umpire have their own base ball cards that are passed out to children to create a lasting memory of the game. Home games are played at the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farm. The Van Hoosen Farmhouse was built in 1840 and the farm across the street was established in 1823. Five generations of the Taylor-Van Hoosen families lived here with noteable family members being Dr. Bertha Van Hoosen (1863-1952), a renowned surgeon, and Dr. Sarah Van Hoosen Jones (1892-1972) who ran the Van Hoosen Farm from 1925 -1954. Dr. Jones was the first woman in the U.S with a Masters Degree in Animal Husbandry and a Ph.d in Animal Genetics. The Museum is owned and operated by the City of Rochester Hills and encompasses nearly 15 acres. The Museum is also located in Stoney Creek Village, listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its collection of c. 1830 -1860 residential homes and schoolhouse. The Museum has an active, 13 year archaeological dig that takes place in its front yard seeking clues about the first log cabin built in our community. Day camps, changing exhibits, weddings, group programs, concerts, and of course base ball, capture the feelings of the past. ContactPatrick McKay |