NORTH BERRIEN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
Vol. III, No. 2 Hagar · Bainbridge · Coloma · Watervliet
Maud Nelson & John Olson: Watervliet’s Baseball Couple
During the early 20th century Watervliet was
home to the world-famous female baseball player
Maud Nelson and her husband John B. Olson Jr. Both
were already experienced in the ways of traveling
baseball by the time of their move from Chicago to
Michigan. Maud had previously played for the Bos-
ton Bloomer Girls and later the Chicago Star Bloom-
ers, which John managed. On February 3, 1905 their
arrival made front page news in The Watervliet Re-
cord: “J.B.Olsen [sic] Purposes to Make Watervliet
Headquarters for His Amusement Enterprises.” The
amusement enterprise was barnstorming baseball, and
for the next 12 years Watervliet was home base.
In this postcard image of the Western Bloomer Girls,
Maud Nelson sits second from the left. Collection of the
North Berrien Historical Society 2010.02.11
300 Coloma Ave./ P.O. Box 207, Coloma, Michigan 49038
Summer 2011
EXHIBIT OPENING RECEPTION JUNE 24
The first traveling team to depart from Wa-
tervliet in 1905 was Olson’s Cherokee Indian Base
Ball Team. It was composed of Native Americans
from reservations across the country; not necessarily
Cherokees. They traveled on a custom Pullman rail-
car named Clementine, which carried not only the
team, but a portable grandstand, a fence 1200 ft. long
by 12 ft. high, and an electric light plant. This al-
lowed games to be played both afternoon and eve-
ning. Utilizing his most famous player, in 1908 John
began promoting Maud Nelson pitching games for the
Cherokee Indians as “the undisputed Champion Lady
Base Ball pitcher of the World.”
In 1910 Maud started her own traveling team,
the Western Bloomer Girls. Composed of seven
women and two men, the team toured nationally.
While majority-female baseball teams were not un-
common at this time, the high skill of the Western
Bloomer Girls set them apart. The first few games of
each year were against local teams including Coloma,
Hartford, and Benton Harbor. The team would then
play in Michigan and Chicago before venturing far-
ther afield. Throughout their years in Watervliet,
John and Maud’s teams appeared in newspaper head-
Continued on Page 5
www.NorthBerrienHistory.org
Page 2

From the Director’s Desk

By Alexander Gates
While spring cleaning recently, I came across
some old to-do lists in my desk. The lists included a
facelift to our site with expanded parking, clear sign-
age, changing exhibits, and a new fundraiser. The
board agreed that without these improvements that it
would be difficult to best serve our community. Last 300 Coloma Ave. Phone: (269) 468-3330
fall the parking was expanded and this spring the old P.O. Box 207 Fax: (269) 468-4083
septic tanks were filled and landscaping improved. Coloma, MI 49038
The next stage of our project calls for installation of www.NorthBerrienHistory.org
new signage and finally a new brick memorial walk info@NorthBerrienHistory.org
with engraved bricks in 2012.
At Volunteer Night in April our first-ever Mu- Connect with NBHS Online!
seum Collector’s Ornament was unveiled. The orna-
ment will be an annual fundraiser with a new design Become a fan on Facebook
available each year. The first design features the mu-
seum with future designs to include the Watervliet Pa- Curator’s Blog:
per Mill, Paw Paw Lake, and the dunes of Lake Michi- NorthBerrienHistory.blogspot.com
gan. Pre-orders will be accepted through June 18 for
$15 plus tax, and after June 18 the ornaments will be Twitter: Twitter.com/NBerrienHistory
sold for $18 plus tax.
This winter the museum digitized over 100 im-
ages of the famous Jacobia Estate in Hagar Township. North Berrien Historical Society
Descendant Linda Hadley loaned us family albums Board of Directors
documenting the former estate on Lake Michigan.
The images give a fascinating insight into the life of Scott Young President
the Jacobs family during the early 20th century, and Bennet Leedy 1st Vice President
will be used in future exhibitions. Kandyce Hays 2nd Vice President
Cindy Young Secretary
Our latest exhibit, Women in Baseball:
Shirley Boone Treasurer
Bloomer Girls of Berrien County & Beyond has come
Ray Mays Assistant Treasurer
together with the help of two prominent women’s Marc Hettig Director
baseball historians: Barbara Gregorich and John Karin Miller Director
Kovach. Gregorich first visited the Watervliet Library Pauline Morris Director
in the early 1990s to research Maud Nelson for her Sherry Polashak Director
book Women at Play: The Story of Women in Base- Tom Scheid Director
ball, published in 1993. While the importance of Wa- Sally Williams Director
tervliet in baseball history was known amongst
women’s baseball circles, the story had long faded Staff
from local memory with the exception of a Western Alexander Gates Director / Curator
Bloomer Girls image in the museum. The idea for the Tracy Gierada Director of Education
exhibit came about by chance when I contacted John Gwen Elsner Office Manager
Kovach, honorary St. Joseph County (IN) Historian,
with a question on a different topic. I introduced my- The mission of the North Berrien Historical
self over the phone as the curator of the museum for Society is to preserve and distribute information
Coloma-Watervliet and he exclaimed, “Watervliet, regarding the history of North Berrien County.
that’s the home of Maud Nelson!” After a few con- We wish to promote, encourage learning,
versations our Women in Baseball exhibit was on the
and disseminate knowledge of the area’s
schedule, with John planning to generously loan ob-
jects from his private baseball collection for display.
cultural and architectural legacy.
 Page 3
All events are at the North Berrien Historical
Mark your Calendars! Museum unless otherwise noted.

Diamond Gals: The Story of Girls and Women in Baseball, presentation by John
Tuesday, June 21, Kovach, baseball historian and coach/ Archivist, St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, IN.
7pm Kovach will discuss why ‘America’s pastime,’ remains a predominately male sport,
despite the fact that women have played the game since the mid-19th century. Free.

Friday, June 24, Exhibit Opening Reception. Join us for the premiere of Women in Baseball:
5-8pm Bloomer Girls of Berrien County & Beyond. Free.

Maud Nelson Festival, Watervliet

Sat.-Sun.,
Maud Nelson Girls Baseball Invitational Tournament, Hays Park
June 25-26 See page 4 for full details.

Wednesday, Adventures in Michigan’s Past. Historian/ Storyteller Larry Massie

proves that Michigan history is fascinating with dynamic vignettes of
June 29,
Indian chiefs, voyageurs, intrepid pioneers, salty Great Lakes ship captains
1-2:30pm and other characters from our state’s rich and colorful past. All ages. Free.

Legends of Paw Paw Lake. This slide show is an overview of Paw Paw Lake history,
Tuesday, July 19, focusing on its “legends” passed on by generations of residents and local historians,
7pm presented by NBHS Director of Education Tracy Gierada. Hear stories of Native
Americans, steamships, dance halls, and beloved resorts at the lake. Free.

Friday, July 22,

Vintage Baseball Game, Coloma. See page 4 for full details.
5:30pm
Film Screening at the Loma: The Girl in Centerfield. This 2011
documentary film tells the story of Carolyn King, the 12-year-old girl
Tuesday, from Ypsilanti, MI, who fought for the right to play Little League baseball
August 16, 7pm in 1973 and changed history. Producer Brian Kruger will be in attendance
to take questions after the film. This screening will be held at the Loma
Theater in downtown Coloma. Free.

Education Update: This spring the museum was visited by

Thank you to our 2011 Youth Interns!
classes of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders from Coloma Schools and
students from the Berrien Springs Home School Partnership.
Our exhibit on women in World War Two was well-received by
these groups, and tours were also provided to Coloma Cub
Scouts and the Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary from St.
Joseph Parish in Watervliet. We also provided offsite programs
for Watervliet North Elementary, the Home School Partnership
and two high school classes at Berrien Springs Schools.
Our Youth Internship program concluded with a
reception in May. As regular volunteers at the museum this
spring, the Youth Interns learned about local history and
museum work. They also appear in a video we created called
“Visit the North Berrien Historical Museum!” which is now
online at www.YouTube.com and offers a 4 minute introduction
to our exhibits and programs at the museum.
Page 4

Women in Baseball exhibit, games, and community fun

will celebrate local baseball history this summer

Exhibit Opening Reception, Women in Baseball: Bloomer Girls of Berrien County &
Friday, June 24,
Beyond at the North Berrien Historical Museum. Enjoy refreshments and help us
5:00-8:00pm welcome the baseball teams visiting for the Maud Nelson Invitational.

Maud Nelson Festival begins, downtown Watervliet

Friday,  Public Homerun Derby at Hays Park, 4:00pm
June 24  Rootbeer Tent Teen Dance featuring
DJ Jammin’ with Jerry, 7:00 - 10:00pm

Maud Nelson Festival, downtown Watervliet

 Pancake Breakfast, Watervliet Fire Station, 7:00am
Saturday,
 Beanbag Tournament
June 25  Beer Tent until 11:00pm, Classic Rock band
Acme Box and Crate plays 7:00 - 11:00pm

June 25 & 26
Maud Nelson Girls Baseball Invitational Tournament.
Times TBA
Cheer on Watervliet’s first women’s baseball team in a century! A
local girls baseball team will play against out-of-town teams for a
chance to move on to the National Championship in Memphis. The
tournament is sponsored by the City of Watervliet and the non-
profit group Baseball for All. All games take place at Hays Park in
Watervliet. Gate Donation.

Watervliet Walking Tours. Stroll through

downtown and the Watervliet Cemetery while
stories and photographs take you back to the
Watervliet known by Maud Nelson. Tours
will depart from Hays Park, Free.

Look for this Western Bloomer Girl on

June 25-26 to take a Watervliet Walking Tour!

Vintage Baseball Game. See the House of David Echoes take on

the Paw Paw Village Corkers and guest “bloomer girl” players
Friday, (including reigning Blossomtime Community Queens) in a match
following 1858 baseball rules. Game field is behind Coloma
July 22,
Elementary School. No bleachers are used at vintage baseball
5:30pm games, so spectators should bring chairs or blankets. The North
Berrien Historical Museum will be open during and after the game,
with parking available at the museum or at Coloma Elementary.
 Page 5

Continued from Page 1

lines as far away as Florida, Maine, and Saskatchewan.

John and Maud’s lives were seasonal, starting with the
players arriving in Watervliet in April for a couple weeks
of practice before heading out for the summer. They
would return to Watervliet and disband the team in late
September or early October just in time for fall harvest.
During the off-season John and Maud lived on
their farm in Watervliet Township located on Paw Paw
Avenue between Coloma and Watervliet, now the site of
the Paw Paw Lake Golf Course. John’s parents, John Ol-
son Sr. and Rachel Olson worked the farm while the cou-
ple was away and cared for John’s son from his first mar-
riage, Edward, when he was not traveling with his par-
ents. In 1908, John also purchased the Rose Villa Hotel,
located on Becht Road between North Coloma and Paw
Paw Lake Roads. Rachel Olson originally managed the
hotel, but in later years John leased the hotel property.
According to local historian William Beverly Jr., the
Western Bloomer Girls stayed in a barn on the property of
the Rose Villa Hotel, which later was moved to the Paw
Paw Lake Golf Course for use as a club house.
The success of these traveling baseball teams had
much to do with John’s promotional skills. Over the
years he would travel with his own band or hire local bands to march through towns on game day. In 1909,
Nathan Daniels of Kalamazoo was hired to travel with the team. Mr. Daniels, according to the Kalamazoo Ga-
zette, stood 21 feet 5 inches upon stilts. In 1911, John even arranged a “flying machine attraction” for a game.
John and Maud were active members of the Watervliet community. Watervliet Record journals show
that posters, contracts, and postcards for both the Cherokee Indians and Bloomer Girls were printed locally.
Team photographs were taken by Cross Studio, and John belonged to the Masonic Lodge in downtown Wa-
tervliet. To make extra money John often sold farm livestock, and even utilized his skills as a steam fitter in
1912 at the coating mill of the Watervliet Paper Company. Edward Olson graduated from Watervliet High
School in 1913 and went on to Michigan Agricultural College.
John died on May 21, 1917 at the age of
44 following a brief illness of pneumonia he
caught traveling across Lake Michigan from Chi-
cago to Benton Harbor. The funeral took place at
the Watervliet Congregational Church and he is
interned at the Watervliet Cemetery. Maud’s ca-
reer was hardly over in 1917. She returned to
playing for the Boston Bloomers and later man-
aged the Chicago Athletic Club. On March 26,
1924 she married Costante Dellacqua and started
the All Star Ranger Girls. She died in Chicago on
February 15, 1944. Although their time in Wa-
tervliet was limited, John and Maud opened doors
for Indian and female ball players. Maud Nel-
The Western Bloomer Girls team poses in front of the
son’s influence in particular spanned four decades,
historic City Gate in St. Augustine, Florida during a
traveling baseball tour, circa 1910. making her a pioneer of women’s baseball.
Page 6
Summer Time Travelers 2011 offers free fun for kids
LUMBERJACKS June 29, 10am-12pm The museum again looks forward
Gaze up at a real white pine: our state tree!  Return to Summer Time Travelers, a series of
to Shingle Diggins on the Paw Paw River in 1835  free interactive programs especially designed for ages
Enjoy tales by Lumberjack Storyteller Larry Massie 6-12. With our two main goals of learning and fun,
every session features hands-on activities and crafts
OLD TIME SPORTS July 13, 10am-12pm focused on a fascinating theme, as well as lessons
Create a cool local sports history pennant  Play a about real historic artifacts and exhibits. These pro-
miniature version of croquet!  Go barnstorming grams are free but to ensure space, advance registra-
with the Watervliet “Bloomer Girls” baseball team tion is required. To register, call the museum or visit
our website to download a registration form.
PIONEERS July 27, 10am-12pm Highlights of Time Travelers this summer in-
Make your own candle and yarn doll  Take home a clude a visit by award-winning Michigan historian
cup-and-ball game  Taste fresh churned butter  and Storyteller Larry Massie on June 29. Time
Learn how pioneers used animals on the frontier Travelers will be held from 10am - Noon, followed at
1pm with a free Storytelling show open to all ages
PAW PAW LAKE FUN August 10, 10am-12pm
called “Adventures in Michigan’s Past”. Other pro-
Play a game to 1940s music from local dance halls! 
grams will make use of the museum’s traveling
Make your own historic thaumatrope toy  Learn
trunks and exhibits throughout our grounds, including
old-fashioned bubble tricks and take bubbles home
the Women in Baseball exhibit this summer.
NATIVE AMERICANS August 24, 10am-12pm Volunteers make it possible for us to offer
Try food and games enjoyed by Native Americans  these free programs to the community. If you would
Make a model birch bark canoe  Learn about the like to help with Summer Time Travelers in 2011,
Potawatomi from southwest Michigan please call or e-mail the museum to sign up.

Spring 2011 Event Photos

1
2
3

Clockwise from top right: 1) Navy and Marine Corps

uniforms plus other local uniforms and artifacts were
displayed in the exhibit A Few Good Women: Women
in the Military During the Second World War. 2) The
museum welcomed over 20 volunteers and 160 peo-
ple to “WWII Soldier for a Day,” a free, hands-on
educational program held during the local school
Spring Break. 3) Local World War Two Veterans
Vel Ripsco (Coloma) and Janet Allkins (Watervliet)
also spoke at a special program at the museum.
 Page 7
North Berrien Historical Society
Glad-Peach Fundraisers Membership Form
Following a decades- Benefits include: Quarterly Newsletter, Advance invite
to special events, and Members-only opportunities
old tradition, the NBHS’ red
Cone Barn will again be
raised in Baker Park during Name
the Glad-Peach Festival in
Coloma. Be sure to visit us Address
August 4-7 this year for
some hot dogs, Sherman’s City, State, ZIP
ice cream, and other refresh-
ments. Our sales that week- Phone
end will be supported by our
annual Bake Sale, to be held E-mail
Saturday, August 6. To raise further funds, NBHS
will also sell tickets throughout the summer for a
 New Member  I may like to
50/50 Raffle. Tickets will be sold for $1 each or six  Returning Member Volunteer
for $5. The drawing for the winning ticket will be
held at the Cone Barn on Sunday, August 7 at 1:00pm. Please check desired annual membership level.
We are seeking many volunteers to work in the  Individual ($15)  Student ($8)
Cone Barn, which is our biggest fundraiser of the year,
in addition to Bake Sale donations and raffle ticket  Family Donor ($50)  Senior ($10)
sellers. Please call the museum at 468-3330 if you can
Additional tax-deductible contribution: $________
help with these fundraisers.
Total Amount Enclosed: $________
September Tri-City Heritage Tour Send your completed form along with your check to:
North Berrien Historical Society
to feature photo contest exhibit P.O. Box 207, Coloma, MI 49038

While the 
first Tri-City Heri- Donations
tage Tour last June
enjoyed beautiful Gary Margolis Belzora ‘Bibs’ Page Edna Frigo
Darlene Getz Ron Winfield Kip Wright
weather and a great
Order of the Eastern Star, St. Joseph
turnout, the event for Knights of Columbus Ladies Auxiliary,
2011 will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church
a later time in the Douglas Geisler - In Memory of Helen Geisler
year. On Saturday,
September 24, The Tri-City Heritage Tour this
Memberships
NBHS is organizing September will feature this bushel- Sherry Polashak Sarah Janecko Joyce Wolff
8-10 historic sites in maker at the Basket Machinery Jim Polashak Jerry Puckett Leroy Wolff
Museum in Riverside. Virginia Willming Kandyce Hays Kip Wright
the North Berrien
Rosanne Bittner Robert Gierada Family
and Hartford areas to be open for free public tours and
Karin Miller Elaine Carlson James Lull
activities. The Tour Guide will be made widely avail- Robert Miller Russell Carlson Betty Lull
able in the community during the weeks prior. Cyndy Winfield DaWayne Biastock Nancy Weir
A Photography Contest will soon be an- Ron Winfield Judith Steffen Alice Mow
nounced inviting submissions of photos that capture Ewald Rodewald Sandy Kraemer Edna Frigo
the distinctive character of our North Berrien for fu- Douglas Geisler David Moss Family
ture generations. The best entries in four age groups
will appear in an exhibit at the museum to premiere Thank you for your support!
during the 2011 Tri-City Heritage Tour.
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Newsletter - Summer 2011

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Saturday, April 27, 1912

Hagar · Bainbridge · Coloma · Watervliet www.NorthBerrienHistory.org