Change 10th street to Bid McPhee Street
The Issue
“This glove business has gone a little too far. True, hot-hit balls do sting a little at the opening of the season, but after you get used to it there is no trouble on that score.” – Bid McPhee
Keithsburg, is Mercer County's Most Exciting City as the signs that once proudly boasted as you would drive into town. Those signs are gone now from the entrances, but proudly brandished at the local Bar and Grill. Stop in to The Eagle's Nest on Main Street if you'd like to take a selfie with one now. Those signs speak to a rich history that not many outside of the locals are aware of. Did you know that just North of town, it's rumored that Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln were known to stay with William Drury while they were campaigning? How about H.V. Porter, a former Principal at Keithsburg High School who coined the phrase "March Madness", as well as changing the the basketball to a more modern style without laces. Maybe you've heard of the famous marksman Captain Tom Marshall who was mayor of Keithsburg for 16 years and is now in the trapshooting Association Hall of Fame.
Of course, the story of Keithsburg wouldn't be complete without mentioning Baseball Hall of Famer Bid McPhee. If you've ever attended a trivia night of mine, you know that you have to remember this little bit of information. John "Bid" McPhee grew up In Keithsburg and cut his teeth playing for the local Keithsburg Ictaries before moving on to the Davenport Brown Stockings and eventually playing 18 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds organization (formerly the Red Stocking and a few other name changes that I won't derail us with) and was ranked as a premier second baseman. Here's the fun part: He was one of the last players in the league to refuse to wear a glove. So he was consistently the top defender at his position and wasn't wearing a glove! When he was forced to wear a glove, due to a broken finger (I can only assume how that happened), he shattered defensive records for the time. The following is an excerpt from an excellent article that Stephanie Braucht wrote in 2015. I'll include a link to the full article as well before I'm done:
"Bid was almost 40 years old when he retired from
playing baseball. He was proud that he had never
been fined or ejected from a game. Indeed, Bid was
held in high esteem as an honest man and a true
gentleman. He was also deemed a brave,
imaginative, and immensely talented pioneer of the
game."
I feel that the history of Bid McPhee needs to be commemorated in a grand way for our little town and that's why I am petitioning for 10th street to formally be renamed Bid McPhee Street. It would add some excitement again, it would likely gather some attention from baseball fans and pay homage to a resident who shaped the game of baseball and likely our town as well. Did you know his uniform colors were orange and black? Mrs. Braucht surmises his uniform might have influenced the colors chosen for our high school mascot, the Keithsburg Blackhawks, built at the height of his career.
Keithsburg could use a little publicity and it would make for an exciting change to our little town with a lot of history that needs to be passed down. Imagine travelers driving down "Great River Road" asking "who's Bid McPhee?". Hopefully they'll stop at the local watering hole and give one lucky local a chance to tell a pretty wild story about a Keithsburg legend. Please consider signing my petition! Keithsburg should be Exciting again!
Mrs. Braucht's article -
A couple more articles that I used with some great quotes!
174
The Issue
“This glove business has gone a little too far. True, hot-hit balls do sting a little at the opening of the season, but after you get used to it there is no trouble on that score.” – Bid McPhee
Keithsburg, is Mercer County's Most Exciting City as the signs that once proudly boasted as you would drive into town. Those signs are gone now from the entrances, but proudly brandished at the local Bar and Grill. Stop in to The Eagle's Nest on Main Street if you'd like to take a selfie with one now. Those signs speak to a rich history that not many outside of the locals are aware of. Did you know that just North of town, it's rumored that Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln were known to stay with William Drury while they were campaigning? How about H.V. Porter, a former Principal at Keithsburg High School who coined the phrase "March Madness", as well as changing the the basketball to a more modern style without laces. Maybe you've heard of the famous marksman Captain Tom Marshall who was mayor of Keithsburg for 16 years and is now in the trapshooting Association Hall of Fame.
Of course, the story of Keithsburg wouldn't be complete without mentioning Baseball Hall of Famer Bid McPhee. If you've ever attended a trivia night of mine, you know that you have to remember this little bit of information. John "Bid" McPhee grew up In Keithsburg and cut his teeth playing for the local Keithsburg Ictaries before moving on to the Davenport Brown Stockings and eventually playing 18 seasons with the Cincinnati Reds organization (formerly the Red Stocking and a few other name changes that I won't derail us with) and was ranked as a premier second baseman. Here's the fun part: He was one of the last players in the league to refuse to wear a glove. So he was consistently the top defender at his position and wasn't wearing a glove! When he was forced to wear a glove, due to a broken finger (I can only assume how that happened), he shattered defensive records for the time. The following is an excerpt from an excellent article that Stephanie Braucht wrote in 2015. I'll include a link to the full article as well before I'm done:
"Bid was almost 40 years old when he retired from
playing baseball. He was proud that he had never
been fined or ejected from a game. Indeed, Bid was
held in high esteem as an honest man and a true
gentleman. He was also deemed a brave,
imaginative, and immensely talented pioneer of the
game."
I feel that the history of Bid McPhee needs to be commemorated in a grand way for our little town and that's why I am petitioning for 10th street to formally be renamed Bid McPhee Street. It would add some excitement again, it would likely gather some attention from baseball fans and pay homage to a resident who shaped the game of baseball and likely our town as well. Did you know his uniform colors were orange and black? Mrs. Braucht surmises his uniform might have influenced the colors chosen for our high school mascot, the Keithsburg Blackhawks, built at the height of his career.
Keithsburg could use a little publicity and it would make for an exciting change to our little town with a lot of history that needs to be passed down. Imagine travelers driving down "Great River Road" asking "who's Bid McPhee?". Hopefully they'll stop at the local watering hole and give one lucky local a chance to tell a pretty wild story about a Keithsburg legend. Please consider signing my petition! Keithsburg should be Exciting again!
Mrs. Braucht's article -
A couple more articles that I used with some great quotes!
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on January 26, 2021