Did you know that Jacksonville used to have a baseball team? The city block on North 5th Street occupied by the local Ray’s supermarket was Jacksonville’s baseball field in the early 1900s, home to the Jacksonville Gold Bricks baseball team. Team owner, George “Bum” Neuber, constructed it in 1902 to take the place of an older field at “Bybee’s Grove,” a mile out of town. Fans could now enjoy a grandstand along with the hotly contested games, but you had to have a ticket! An 8-foot fence blocked the view any casual watchers.
The Gold Bricks were outfitted with blue uniforms trimmed with gold, and the line-up included such well-known local names as Donegan, Nunan, Ulrich, Helms, Armstrong, Orth, Reames, and Wendt. As to their record, well, they won many and lost a few. But then it should be noted that Neuber was known to bring in “guest players” as a means of defeating visiting teams.