INVREF#CL41

Rare original 1950 baseball broadside (promotional poster) advertising an upcoming game between the famous touring Israelite House of David and the Rock Hill Chiefs. Measuring 8" x 12" and secured on thick poster board for preservation purposes. You also recieve an original 1930s House of Davis baseball game ticket and a newer 8" x 10" photo of the team.

Broadside Details & Features

The Attraction: The paper paster broadside features the legendary House of David traveling baseball team, highly popular barnstormers known for their religious custom of growing long hair and full beards.

Matchup: They are billed against the Rock Hill Chiefs, a Tri-State League team.

Location: The game was scheduled at the Municipal Stadium in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

The April 8, 1950 game between the Rock Hill Chiefs and the House of David was a highly anticipated barnstorming match, held at the Chiefs' home field in Rock Hill, South Carolina, to kick off the pre-season.

The Matchup

• Rock Hill Chiefs: A Class B minor league team in the Tri-State League (affiliated with the Chicago Cubs), which ultimately won the league championship later that same year.

• House of David: A famously religious, barnstorming baseball organization based in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The team was universally recognized for their signature long hair and beards, combined with entertaining "pepper" game tricks to excite crowds.

Historical Significance

Exhibition games like this one were major local community events. Because the House of David was highly skilled but operated as an independent traveling squad

Special Event: The poster highlights their "Famous Shadow Game," a popular comedic, pantomime warm-up routine performed without a ball.

Pricing & Logistics: It lists a night game starting at 8:00 P.M. with general admission prices ranging from 40 for children to $1.25 for box seats.

Historical Context

The Israelite House of David was a communal religious community founded in Benton Harbor, Michigan. To promote their community and raise funds, they fielded highly skilled barnstorming baseball teams from the 1910s through the 1950s. They traveled across North America playing local semi-pro, minor league, and Negro League teams.

Because these posters were designed to be filled in with local game details and pasted around towns, very few authentic examples survive today, making them highly collectible pieces of sports ephemera.

Historic context: Integration: Because they were excluded from the white Major Leagues, they frequently played and traveled with African-American teams in the Negro Leagues (such as the Kansas City Monarchs) in a highly progressive, integrated fashion for the era.

Notable Players: Several legendary athletes donned the fake beards and joined their exhibitions, including Hall of Famer Satchel Paige, Grover Cleveland Alexander, and renowned female athlete Babe Didrikson.

Babe Ruth never played a standard, competitive game against the House of David baseball team. Instead, the legendary slugger famously put on a fake beard and batted against the bearded barnstormers in high-profile spring training exhibition games in Florida during the 1930s.

The Exhibition Matchups St. Petersburg, Florida (March 1931 & 1933): The New York Yankees played exhibition games against the House of David (and similar regional touring squads).

Babe's Disguise: To the delight of the crowd, Ruth donned a fake beard and got in on the fun, batting in a few of these exhibition innings as an honorary member or against the iconic team.

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