Temperance Tavern Museum - David B. Stinson Author

Many thanks to Gary Brown for a true Deadball moment. By way of background . . .

In 2006, I stopped with my family in Newcomerstown, Ohio. Because of Cy Young’s connections to that town, I visited the Temperance Tavern Museum. It was there that I learned Cy Young’s former house may or may not still be standing in nearby Peoli, Ohio. Because the rest of my family expressed little interest in spending a few hours trying to track down Cy Young’s former home, it was left for another day for me to go in search of the house. That day came in 2009 when I returned to Peoli in search of Cy Young’s former home. Long story short, I found the house.

My trips to Newcomerstown and Peoli were background for a chapter in my book Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, whereby Byron Bennett heads to Newcomerstown in search of Cy Young and ends up finding both his former house and the cemetery where he is interred.

This summer, I received an email from Gary Brown who had seen my posts about Newcomerstown and Cy Young’s house. Mr. Brown informed me he had unearthed a previously unknown photograph of Cy Young taken in front of his house in Peoli and asked if I would be interested in it. Long story short, I was. Without further adieu, here is the picture:

On the back of the photograph is the name Harold E. Thomas, whom Mr. Brown believes is the person to the left of Cy Young in the photograph. Also in the photo is a collie, sitting at the feet of Mr. Young. When I visited the Temperance Tavern Museum in 2006, one of our tour guides told us that people used to stop by Cy Young’s house for a visit and whenever someone took out a camera to take a photograph of Mr. Young, his dog would come running up and pose for the picture as well.

To have found a photograph of Mr. Young, posing with his dog and a visitor in Peoli, Ohio, was truly a Deadball moment. Thank you Mr. Brown.

In my book Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel, one of the many baseball-related places Byron Bennett visits is Newcomerstown, Ohio, the adopted home town of Cy Young (Young actually lived with his friends the Bendum’s in nearby Peoli, Ohio). The Temperance Tavern Museum, located in Newcomerstown, boasts an impressive collection of Cy Young souvenirs and memorabilia.

The Temperance Tavern Museum, Newcomerstown, Ohio

First and foremost is Young’s complete 1908 Boston Red Sox uniform. The uniform was donated to the museum by a woman who lived in Newcomerstown. Her father was one of Young’s closest friends. The woman discovered the uniform in one of her father’s trunks years after her father died.

Cy Young's 1908 Red Sox Uniform

The glass display case that lines the right side of the Cy Young room includes numerous mementos from Young’s baseball career, as well as artifacts from his life in Peoli after retirement.

Cy Young Display Case, Temperance Tavern Museum

Perhaps most impressive of the post-baseball items is Young’s rocking chair. According to local legend, in his later years, Young could often be found sitting in that chair on the front porch of the house where he lived.

Cy Young's Rocking Chair

The museum’s display includes the last hat and shoes Young ever wore. The grey fedora and black high button shoes are sandwiched between a Boston Redsox penant and a replica of Young’s Hall of Fame plaque.

Cy Young's Last Hat and Shoes

Newcomerstown also has a little league field named in Young’s honor. The house where he lived still stands (barely) in Peoli (see Cy Young Home). The cemetery where he is buried is less than a mile from his former home.

A Deadball Moment – Cy Young Returns To Peoli

Cy Young and the Temperance Tavern Museum

Buy Deadball, A Metaphysical Baseball Novel

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