In Crisis
A Celebration of History
In 1925, two decades before Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier, the Harrisburg Giants, a Negro League team led by future Hall of Famer Oscar Charleston, called Rossmere Base Ball Park in Lancaster their Sunday home. Honoring the 100 years since the Harrisburg Giants first came to town, we are bringing our community together to celebrate baseball history, Black history, and Lancaster history!
Read on to learn more about the Harrisburg Giants and their historic run in Lancaster, and find a community event to help us celebrate. We can’t wait to see you out there!
Baseball History in Lancaster
Rossmere Base Ball Park was built in 1904 just northeast of Lancaster City at the corner of Janet and Frances Avenues. In its early days, the ballpark was the home to Lancaster’s minor league teams, including the Lancaster Red Roses. Babe Ruth and the Boston Red Sox once played an exhibition game at the ballpark in 1919.
In 1925, the Harrisburg Giants, a Negro League team based in Harrisburg, were looking for a home for their Sunday games. Restrictions on Sunday recreation in the state due to the Pennsylvania “Blue Laws” made this difficult, but unclear loopholes led them to Rossmere.
Over three seasons, the Harrisburg Giants played 21 exhibition games and five Negro National League games at Rossmere, going 21-4 in their exhibition games and winning three of their four played NNL games (the fifth was suspended for weather). The Harrisburg Giants were an offensive powerhouse led by player-manager and future Hall of Famer Oscar Charleston. He was joined by eventual Hall of Famers “Fat” Jenkins and Ben Taylor, as well as Rap Dixon, who many baseball scholars believe should be a Hall of Fame inductee.
Community Events
May 23, 2025 | Fence Bustin' Beer Release with YPOC Lancaster
Spring House Brewery | 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
209 Hazel Street, Lancaster
The Harrisburg Giants were a team of power hitters known to swing for the fences, and at the time, local papers touted the team’s fence bustin’ talents. Join YPOC Lancaster, an initiative of Crispus Attucks Community Center, for the release of Fence Bustin’ – a pilsner brewed by Spring House Brewing Company in partnership with CAP to commemorate these forgotten giants in local and national baseball lore. Cheers!
June 9, 2025 | 'Open the Door' Exhibit with LancasterHistory
“Open the Door: Baseball’s Color Line in Central Pennsylvania,” a collaborative exhibit with local historian Jeremy Raff, will tell the remarkable stories of the men who played for teams like the Harrisburg Giants and the Lancaster Red Roses, on the 100th anniversary of the Giants’ historic run playing at Lancaster’s Rossmere Base Ball Park. The exhibit will run through the summer until August 30.
June 17, 2025 | Film Screening with LancasterHistory
LancasterHistory | Time TBD
230 North President Avenue, Lancaster
Join us for a conversation with LancasterHistory and local historian Jeremy Raff as they screen “Baseball’s Color Line in Local and National Contexts” and lead a thoughtful discussion afterward about the Negro League, Black baseball, and how Lancaster played a role in this history.
June 20, 2025 | Lancaster Stormers Negro League Night
Penn Medicine Park | Doors 5:45 p.m., Game 6:45 p.m.
650 North Prince Street, Lancaster
Join us for a special evening of baseball honoring the Harrisburg Giants and Negro League baseball! Among the fun, Stormers players will sport Harrisburg Giants replica jerseys, Negro League players’ descendants will be recognized on the field before the game, and fans can learn more about the history of the Negro League in Lancaster on the concourse.
The Harrisburg Giants replica jerseys will be auctioned off during the game, and Spring House Brewing Company’s Fence Bustin’ pilsner will be on tap, with proceeds from the sales of both going to support Crispus Attucks Community Center. See you at the ballpark!
June 22, 2025 | 4th Annual Juneteenth Cultural Mixer
Crispus Attucks Community Center | Time 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
407 Howard Avenue, Lancaster
Join us for the 4th Annual Cultural Mixer to celebrate Juneteenth! In addition to honoring this true day of freedom for the Black community in the United States, we will be capping off a month of celebrating the centennial of the Negro League team the Harrisburg Giants playing in Lancaster and our place within the storied history of baseball. Baseball was a cornerstone of early Juneteenth celebrations throughout the late 1800s and early 1900s as an act of freedom and autonomy until the game was desegregated in 1947.
ClubKng will be spinning tunes, Blind Date Band will be performing live, and A&K Kreations and Atayah Woods will be serving up delicious food and desserts!
Generous Sponsors
About the Center
Crispus Attucks Community Center is a cultural hub that creates equitable community by honoring African American history, elevating the Black experience, and caring for our neighbors. Through programs and events that promote community prosperity, we are carrying on a nearly century-old legacy of advocacy and resource offerings in southeast Lancaster City.