In late February 2021, the Historical Society of the Town of Middletown (HSM) received $1,238 from Network For Good to pay for a new roadside historical marker celebrating the famous Mountain Athletic Club (M.A.C.) Grounds at Fleischmanns Park. The one-day fundraiser was held on Facebook on December 1, 2020 during “#GivingTuesday” when the social media giant contributed $7 million in matching funds to non-profit causes across the globe.
“Donations ranging from $5 to $100 poured in throughout the day coming from friends and supporters of our club’s mission to preserve baseball history in the Village of Fleischmanns,” stated Collin Miller, organizer of M.A.C. Vintage Base Ball. The ball field is the current home the M.A.C., a vintage baseball team fashioned after the original club that played there from 1895 to the early 1900’s. Last fall, the field was added to the New York State and National Register of Historic Places. Miller worked with HSM President Diane Galusha to approve the sign’s design and gain HSM board approval for the funding. “HSM requires that owners of a historic property fund half the cost of the sign with our organization picking up the other half,” said Galusha. But she said that, due in part to the COVID pandemic and less event programming last year, the HSM’s coffers were not as plentiful going into the new year. “It was terrific to see what they pulled off to fund the full cost of the sign in less than a day’s time.”
The sign will be made locally at Catskill Castings in Bloomville, New York and organizers expect to unveil it during a pre-game ceremony at the M.A.C. home-opener on May 29, 2020. For more details on these local organizations and their upcoming events visit www.mtownhistory.org and www.macvintagebaseball.org.
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