Henderson Hens
Henderson, KY, across the Ohio River from Evansville, Indiana, was another western Kentucky town that fielded a Kitty League Team off and on for the first couple of decades of the 20th century.
The first Henderson team, which apparently didn’t have a nickname, played in the Kentucky-Indiana League and the Central League in the 1896 and 1897 seasons. There was then a five-year hiatus before the Henderson Blue Birds played in the Kitty League for the 1903 and 1904 seasons. There after all the rest of the Henderson teams would be named the “Hens”.
The first Hens team played in the Kitty League in 1905 and was a continuation of the team previously named the “Blue Birds.” This team unfortunately was forced to fold in July of the 1905 season while sporting a 29-47 record.
Professional baseball did not return to Henderson until the 1911 season when the team in McCleansboro, Illinois moved to Henderson mid-season and became the Hens once again. This ushered in a period of some stability as the Hens played five of the next six seasons of Kitty League play
1916 would be the last year for professional baseball in Henderson, as the Kitty League folded in August of that year. When it was reformed, Henderson wasn’t part of the league. While it would seem the Henderson/Evansville area would be a great place to host minor league baseball, it’s likely that the Henderson teams were overshadowed by minor league teams across the river in Evansville, that generally played in a higher (Class B) league than the Class D Kitty League Hens.
