The Oil City Refiners played in Oil City, Pennsylvania, the Venango County town at the mouth of Oil Creek where the American petroleum industry began. They spent four seasons in the Class C Middle Atlantic League from 1947 through 1950 as a Chicago White Sox farm club.
The franchise was community property in a literal sense. When professional baseball returned to Oil City after the war, it was financed by the Oil City Athletic Club, a group of 485 members who each bought a single share of stock at ten dollars apiece to get the club off the ground. That first postwar season in 1946 was played under the older Oilers name and a Pittsburgh Pirates working agreement, and it ended in last place in a six-team league. The White Sox agreement and the Refiners name arrived together in 1947.
Oil City had used the Oilers name before, running as a Pirates farm club in the Class D Pennsylvania State Association from 1940 through 1942. When that circuit failed to reorganize after the war, Oil City was one of the cities that moved over to the rebuilt Middle Atlantic League.
The Refiners are unusual among the teams in this catalog for what the record does not show. Across four seasons as a White Sox affiliate, they did not develop a single player who reached the major leagues. The club reached the playoffs in 1950, sweeping Erie in three games. After the 1950 season the Refiners name was retired, and when Youngstown ran into money trouble the following summer and moved to Oil City mid-season, the team finished the year as the Oil City A's. That was the last professional baseball the city has seen.
The Middle Atlantic League was a Class C circuit that ran from 1925 through 1951, pausing for three wartime seasons, with teams drawn mostly from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Retro Baseball Revival celebrates historic baseball teams with unique apparel, honoring their legacy and bringing history to one-of-a-kind clothing with our old school retro baseball tees from defunct Minor League Baseball teams. All of our high quality apparel is designed, printed, and shipped within the USA. This collection features 100% original designs based on the history and nicknames of historic minor league teams.
Our premium lightweight shirts are the hugely popular Bella+Canvas brand 3001 tees. They are much lighter and thinner feeling than a traditional heavyweight tee. They also are more form fitting and feel more snug. These are generally 90% to 100% cotton, although please note that heather colors in this item are 52% cotton.
Size Guide: Fit is true to size or a little snug. Considering ordering one size up if you are normally between sizes.
Brand: Bella Canvas | Product ID: 3001
- Made with 100% Airlume combed and ring-spun cotton, a lightweight fabric (4.2 oz/yd² (142 g/m²)) that is easy to layer, breathable. Perfect for active and leisure wear.
- The retail fit that is perfect for casual and semi-formal settings. The crew neckline adds a classic, neat style that's perfect for accessorizing.
- Bella+Canvas manufactures all its products in the US and internationally in humane, no-sweat-shop, sustainable way and is part of the Fair Labor Association as well as Platinum WRAP certified.
- The tear-away label minimizes skin irritations.
- Fabric blends: Ash and Heather Prism colors - 99% cotton, 1% polyester; Heather and Solid Blend colors - 52% cotton, 48% polyester; Athletic Heather and Black Heather - 90% cotton, 10% polyester.
