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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1863 | 1 |
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 12 |
| 1877 | 10 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 3 |
| 1883 | 10 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 7 |
| 1886 | 5 |
| 1887 | 3 |
| 1888 | 4 |
| 1889 | 9 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 31 |
| 1893 | 16 |
| 1894 | 33 |
| 1895 | 1 |
| 1899 | 3 |
160 stories matching ball
- Seattle's Nonpareils Outplay Tacoma in a Thrilling Baseball Match
The junior champions of the Northwest dominated Tacoma with professional teamwork and acrobatic fielding, thrilling a crowd at Madison Street ball park.
- John Wiley's Whiskers Steal a 25–15 Ballgame
A comedian's two-base hit, a 1,000-person crowd, and a disastrous first inning turned a grudge match between the Jacobites and Philistines into Seattle's strangest sporting spectacle of 1894.
- The First Lacrosse Game Ever Played in Seattle
Five hundred spectators packed Madison Street Park as picked teams from Victoria introduced the city to lacrosse — and a stocky second-home nicknamed 'Billy' ran away with the show.
- The Ball That Burned: A Seattle Saloon Mystery
In 1876, a patron at John Brendle’s beer saloon discovered that one of the billiard balls was made of highly flammable material, igniting instantly when pressed against his pipe.
- The Night Seattle's Young Men Came to the Ball Alone
At the Olympic Tennis Club's Seattle Theater ball, many eligible young men arrived stag. Their excuse was simple: carriages, bouquets and suppers had made courtship too expensive.
- The Ballad of the Hungry Dancers: How Seattle’s Laborers Turned a Formal Dance into a Food Fight
When the Sailors’ Union hosted its first annual ball at Turner’s Hall, the orchestra played waltzes with captions like 'I am Hungry' and 'We Eat.' The result was a legendary night of dancing, dining, and civic pride that defined Seattle’s working-class culture.
- The Masquerade Scandal of 1885
A Seattle man is arrested for cross-dressing at a public masquerade ball, leaving society columnists to offer their moralizing take on his 'vice.'
- A Deadly Base on Balls Costs Seattle a Win
Despite a late rally and a hard-fought pitcher's battle, the Seattle baseball club fell to Spokane after a shaky ninth inning defined by control issues.
- The Day the Ball Vanished in the Woods
A spectacular home run at the Seattle Athletic Club game clears the fence and lands in the thicket, a feat never seen in amateur ball before.
- The Last Laugh of 'Old Si': A Black Veteran's Take on War and Wages in Pioneer Seattle
In a rare moment of candid journalism from 1877, the *Daily Intelligencer* sits down with 'Old Si,' a local African American man who served as a Union soldier. His unvarnished take on racial loyalty, wages, and the upcoming Centennial Exposition reveals the complex social fabric of early Seattle.
- The Ball That Shook Seattle: A Night of Masks, Money, and 'Transposed Sexes'
In the damp cold of February 1877, Seattle’s elite gathered for a masquerade ball that defied social norms, featuring cross-dressing performers and a prize for the 'best sustained character'—a rare glimpse into the territory's vibrant, chaotic social life.
- Bullets Through the Parlor: A Waterfront Shooting Spree Terrifies a Seattle Family
A late-night rifle-and-revolver crowd near Stone & Burnett's wharf has turned Mrs. P. Andrews's house into a target, and police still cannot find the shooters.
- The Fifteen-Inning Thriller at Madison Street Park
A grueling, marathon baseball game between Seattle and Spokane ends in a walk-off home run that turns the crowd into 'howling maniacs.'
- The Midnight Shot at the Eldorado
A quiet night in a Seattle saloon turns into a tense legal spectacle after a musician goes on a shooting spree during a restless sleep.
- Seattle's Public Ball Grounds Ruined by Grading
Young athletes find their field, cleared and maintained at their own expense, rendered useless by city infrastructure work.
- The Great Seattle Silence: A Christmas Without Drunks or Arrests
In a rare departure from holiday tradition, the city remained remarkably sober and quiet on Christmas Day 1876, with zero arrests recorded despite the usual festive revelry.
- The Police Force Throws a Grand Ball
Seattle officers trade their nightsticks for dance partners at the Armory to raise money for a sickness and death relief fund.
- Thistles vs. Seattle at Madison Street Park
A tight, 1-0 match between the Ballard Thistles and a Seattle team ends in a contentious, injury-marred struggle.
- The Presbyterian Ball Controversy
A proposed tournament and dance in Seattle triggers anxiety and confusion within the First Presbyterian Church congregation.
- Fifteen Hundred Fans and One Silk Pennant: Port Gamble Takes the Sound Championship
A steamer of rooters, gold coin at the gate and a decisive game at Madison Street Park — Port Gamble beat Port Blakeley 15 to 5 for the Puget Sound pennant, and flew it from the steamer's jackstaff.
- Seattle Baseball Team Issues Call for Support
Local players aim to uphold their record against the Victoria club, but they need the community’s help to make the trip across the border.
- Hibernians Parade Through Seattle
A festive St. Patrick’s Day celebration united the Irish communities of Seattle, Tacoma, and Whatcom with a parade and grand ball at the local armory.
- The Library Ball that Defined 1889 Seattle
High society gathers at the First Regiment Armory to fund the Yesler Library, marking a glittering return to the social calendar after the solemnity of Lent.
- The Seattle Athletic Club’s Chilly Diamond Victory
A frosty practice game between the Seattle Athletic Club and the University of Washington nine at West Seattle ends in a 9-to-7 score.
- The Hard Times Ball
Seattle's elite staged an 'economical' dance party to navigate the financial strain of 1893.
Also about this, in other words
- Baseball on a Waxed Floor
A drizzling rain turned Seattle's Madison Street Park into a mud pit, forcing players to do more 'ground and lofty tumbling' than actual base running.
- The Football Defense: A 19th-Century Debate on Brutality
Readers spar in the pages of the Post-Intelligencer over whether American college football is a ‘scientific’ athletic endeavor or a barbaric ‘prized-fight’ masquerading as sport.