Sports and Entertainment

Collection Items

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  N.G Robertson Stag Party

  A stag party with pre-wedding celebrations including three couples. The party takes place in the Crystal Ballroom of Hotel Casey. These couples have come together to celebrate the soon to be married N. Robertson.
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  1906-1907 Scranton Lace Works Football/Soccer Team

  When people hear “The Scranton Lace Company”, they typically think of the largest producer of Nottingham lace in America; a company that operated for over a century in Scranton, Pennsylvania. What many people do not realize is that the Scranton Lace Company was more than just a workplace for its employees. They had many sports teams that competed across the state of Pennsylvania in the early 1900s. The Company provided a way for its many employees to escape the mundane life of manufacturing. The Scranton Lace Company offered sports such as baseball and basketball, and even had bowling lanes built within the factory. At the height of industry, these activities allowed workers to relieve stress, have fun and build a community. One of these teams from the company was the 1906 to 1907 Scranton Lace Works soccer/football team, as shown in the picture. The picture shows all eleven of the players with their managers around them, while two championship trophies stand proudly in front of them. Before explaining the photo further, it is important to look back at the year that the Scranton Lace team had, leading up to the forgotten photograph.
  The soccer team started in 1906 by winning the Lehigh Valley League, as reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer on January 1, 1906. The league consisted of fourteen total teams ranging from cities like Wilkes-Barre and Forrest City. As stated in “The Scranton Truth” on February 5, 1906, Mr. Dimmick, the president of the Lace Company at the time, presented The Silver Cup for the champions at a banquet for the team and stated that a team must win the cup three times in order for the cup to be the teams property.
  Fast forward to 1907, the Scranton Lace Works Football Team led the Anthracite Association league and looked to win The Silver Cup that was presented to them a year prior. The league consisted of teams from both Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties with the teams belonging to Throop, Old Forge, Wilkes-Barre, Forty-Fort, and Nanticoke. At the last stretch of the season, the Scranton Lace Works team was undefeated and was closing in on The Silver Cup. On April 29, they were matched up against Wilkes-Barre and needed to defeat them to become champions. The Scranton Lace Works breezed past Wilkes-Barre with a score of 3-0 and won the championship and The Silver Cup. The team finished the season undefeated with no team ahead of them.
  After they won the cup, Lace Company President Mr. Dimmick held a dinner at The Hotel Terrace to celebrate the team’s championship win. Although Mr. Dimmick was battling illness and was not able to attend, forty-two people were present while multiple people in the organization gave speeches praising the team’s success. During the dinner, the team and managers gathered and took a picture to preserve the memory of the successful season that the Scranton Lace Works had. The picture that was taken is the same picture that is shown here today and is one of the only artifacts that acknowledges the history of the successful but forgotten 1906 to 1907 Scranton Lace Works soccer team.
  The soccer team was well-known and popular at the time, traveling around the state of Pennsylvania to face the best talent and were even mentioned in newspapers such as The Philadelphia Inquirer multiple times. Although they were a popular and widely successful soccer team in Pennsylvania, The Scranton Lace Works soccer team has been forgotten with time. Today, little is known about the team or their accomplishments. While many people are familiar with the history of the Lace Factory and their mass production of Nottingham Lace, most are unaware of the historic background the company has with sports. One hundred years ago, the team was known all around Pennsylvania and was featured in the newspaper every time they played. The team’s history has nearly vanished with almost no trace, as people tend to forget about things that were once important to them and move on.
  Although the team has been largely forgotten, their success in soccer was still important for the company at that time. They were well known and very successful and gave the Scranton Lace Company a good reputation and standing in the community. They were pioneers of soccer in Pennsylvania and helped shape sports in the state. Although people may have forgotten about them, the Scranton Lace Works soccer team’s story still lives on today in the picture taken after their historical season.