Historical Society of Forest Park
Historical Society of Forest Park
  • Get Involved
    • Facebook Group
    • Volunteer
    • Give us feedback
  • Membership
  • Donate
  • Calendar
  • Virtual Tours
  • News
  • Board
  • Look Back Blog
  • Our Neighbors, Oral Histories
    • Our Neighbors, Our Heroes >
      • Clifford Leber
      • Debra Funderwhite
      • Don Lines
      • Joseph Byrnes
      • Patricia Salazar Davis
      • Paul Roach
      • Raphael Davis
      • Mike Close
      • Mike Mohr
  • Living History
    • Living History: Covid-19
  • Online Exhibits
    • Altenheim
    • Ameritorp
    • Black History
    • Bloomer Girls
    • Cemeteries
    • Cemetery Symbolism
    • Forest Park Amusement Park
    • Haymarket
  • Additional Resources
    • Housing Research >
      • A Landlord's Guide to Researching Property History
      • Chicago House Research Guide
      • House Advisor
    • 16" Softball Hall of Fame
    • Bataan Project
    • Forest Home Cemetery
  • Land Acknowledgment
  • Contact
  • Store
  • Get Involved
    • Facebook Group
    • Volunteer
    • Give us feedback
  • Membership
  • Donate
  • Calendar
  • Virtual Tours
  • News
  • Board
  • Look Back Blog
  • Our Neighbors, Oral Histories
    • Our Neighbors, Our Heroes >
      • Clifford Leber
      • Debra Funderwhite
      • Don Lines
      • Joseph Byrnes
      • Patricia Salazar Davis
      • Paul Roach
      • Raphael Davis
      • Mike Close
      • Mike Mohr
  • Living History
    • Living History: Covid-19
  • Online Exhibits
    • Altenheim
    • Ameritorp
    • Black History
    • Bloomer Girls
    • Cemeteries
    • Cemetery Symbolism
    • Forest Park Amusement Park
    • Haymarket
  • Additional Resources
    • Housing Research >
      • A Landlord's Guide to Researching Property History
      • Chicago House Research Guide
      • House Advisor
    • 16" Softball Hall of Fame
    • Bataan Project
    • Forest Home Cemetery
  • Land Acknowledgment
  • Contact
  • Store

Bloomer Girls

Picture
1946 
Top - Paulina Pirok Dorothy McKaige, Cachter, Wilda Mae Turned, Pitcher, Ann Pallo, Catcher, Winnie Reed, Tosh Vaugn, Lena Gernic
Bottom - Ricki Caito, Jean Sample, Kay Shinon, Ann Hartnet, Lil Hackson, Irene Chromcik, Mary O’Conn
or 
​
Picture
Pinky Pirok and Ricky Caito
Picture

​The Leagues

Forest Park’s women’s baseball teams originated in Boston. The Boston Bloomer team was organized in the 1880s and brought to Forest Park in 1937 by Emery Parichy. The team was part of the National Girls Baseball League (NGBL), which was started in 1944. (Though “National” was in the name, the NGBL only played in the Chicago area. The NGBL differed from the All American Girls Baseball League, which was started the year before and had a national scope (and was featured in the movie “A League Their Own”). The leagues did not play against each other, and they had different rules. The All American Girls Baseball League required players to wear skirts and used the girls’ appearance to promote games. Players signed contracts to guarantee moral and ethical behavior. The NGBL was more about the sport. The league annually drew over 500,000 fans by the late-1940s.

​
Picture
Sonny Berger (South Bend Blue Sox, AAGPBL) and Wilda Mae Furner Parichy’s Bloomer Girls (NGBL)
Picture
PictureEmery Parichy
The National Girls Baseball League (NGBL)
The league had six professional teams: the Bloomer Girls, the Blue Birds, the Chicks, the Queens, the Cardinals, and the Music Maids.

The teams were owned by Mr. Emery Parichy, who owned a roofing business in Oak Park (starting in 1926). Mr. Parichy eventually became school board president for Proviso High School in Maywood, now Proviso East; president of the Forest Park Library Board; helped start the Forest Park Park District, and was chairman of fund-raising for Loretto Hospital.

​

Picture
Picture
​
​
Parichy Stadium 

Parichy Stadium in Forest Park was at the Northwest corner of Harlem and Harrison. The stadium also featured a great restaurant and a museum for memorabilia. Across the street was Vogel’s Tavern. The Rockford Peaches and the Racine Belles from the All American Girls Baseball League played some games there. In 1954 the stadium was torn down to make way for Eisenhower Expressway expansion. 
​
Picture
Wilda Mae Turner known for fast-pitching perfect games
Picture
1948
Picture
Picture
Ricki Caito
Picture
Mary Rudd 1948
Picture
Charlotte Licher
Picture
Dorothy “Boots” Klupping Later she played for AAGPBL’s Racine Bells
Picture
Gwen Wong 1947
Picture

​The National Girls Baseball League allowed “colored” players, including Gwen Wong, a Chinese-American left-handed pitcher, Nancy Ito a Japanese-American, and Betty Chapman, who played on the Admiral Music Maids of the National Girls Baseball League of Chicago. The national All-American Girls Baseball League was not integrated. 

The National Girls Baseball League was disbanded in 1955.

​
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly