Chicago Union Giants W. S. Peters Booking Letter (1915)

This letter was sent by William S. Peters, the General Manager of the Chicago Union Giants baseball team, to confirm the booking of a game with the Henry Greys. The game was to be played on Thursday, June 17, 1915. The letter also details the financial terms required by Chicago Union Giants to play the game. The Union Giants required 50 % of the gate with a minimum guarantee of  $ 35.00. The letter displayed in this museum gallery offering is signed in pencil by W.S. Peters.

The Chicago Union Giants billed themselves as the oldest colored baseball team in the West. According to their letterhead the 1915 season would be the 36th year that the Chicago Union Giants had been on the road. If this is true, then the Chicago Union Giants would have been founded in 1879.  The team was originally formed as the Unions and played out of Chicago, Illinois. The Unions were under the direction of Abe Jones. The team’s name was changed to the Chicago Unions in 1888. William S. Peters who had played for the team since 1887 took over as the team manager in 1890. He remained at the helm of the team until it was sold in 1900 to Frank Leland. As soon as Leland bought the Chicago Unions, he merged them with the Columbia Giants to form the Chicago Union Giants. The highlight of the Chicago Unions franchise was winning the Western Championship in 1894. The Unions and Chicago Unions played their entire franchise history as an independent team.

When Frank Leland bought the Chicago Unions and formed the Chicago Union Giants, W.S. Peters organized his own ball club and called his team Peters Union Giants. The Chicago Union Giants would undergo another name change under Frank Leland in 1905 when they became the Leland Giants. When this occurred W.S. Peters changed the name of his team, the Peters Union Giants, back to the Chicago Union Giants. The Chicago Union Giants would continue to play under the direction of W.S. Peters through the 1923 season.