Anderson Orphans

The Anderson Orphans, based in Anderson, Indiana, were one of eight charter franchises when the Class B Central League opened its first season on April 30, 1903, the same inaugural class that included the Marion Oilworkers, Fort Wayne Railroaders, and Wheeling Stogies.

Anderson struggled on the field and didn't finish the season in Indiana. Partway through 1903, the franchise relocated to Grand Rapids, Michigan. Between the two cities, the team finished with a 48-92 record, well off the rest of the league's pace.

In the 1800s and first half of the 1900s, teams existed in thousands of small towns across the United States, as Americans looked for recreational activities and entertainment in the era before TV.

The Central League itself was a Class B circuit that ran, often sporadically, from 1903 into the 1930s (with a later 1948-51 revival), fielding teams mostly from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.