My grandfather’s brother, Paul Dodd, was a local ballplayer of note. He took out ads in the paper announcing his availabilty to teams preparing for competition. He played for money. My father has been tracking down links to him in old newspapers, like those found on the amazing Fulton History site. He has found mentions of Paul playing at Sheehan’s field at 12 Corners, Windsor Beach in Summerville. a ballpark out Edgemere near where Schaller’s is today and this place called “Birds and Worms.”
At painting class last night my father (Leo Dodd), asked us if we had any idea where “Birds and Worms” was. He sent us this photo. He thought it was near us but we had never heard of it. My father continued his research last night and found it on a Google map. It turns out to be at the closest point on the bay to our house, a former Native American settlement and now home to the Newport Yacht Club. It is at the bottom of Seneca Road down a very steep hill. It is impossible to ride our one speed bikes back up it so we walk them.
The Birds and Worms clubhouse, shown above, hosted meetings of the “Early Birds And Unfortunate Worms Club” and later became the Birds and Worms Hotel, serving smuggled Canadian rum. There is not enough flat land down there for a baseball game so they must have sponsored games at another location. I’m thinking of re-organizing a social club called “Early Birds And Unfortunate Worms Club.”
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Sounds like a great social club, for the birds anyway. Will you have Canadian rum?
My Great Grandparents used to talk about ‘Birds and Worms’ all the time, according to my mother. I have old photos of them there.
I have a large-sized (probably 15″ x 24″), vertical, hand-drawn (colored pencil, I think) illustration purchased in Rochester and titled “Birds and Worms” depicting a young man sitting on a pier with a fishing pole. It may have been a high school or college class art project. It might be signed with initials, I’ll have to check. I’ll get a photo made.