Abner Doubleday was born in Ballston Spa, New York on June 26, 1819. He is widely credited with inventing the game of baseball. It is said that he devised the initial rules of play in a cow pasture on the farm of Elihu Phinney, and played the game there regularly. His other, perhaps lesser-known claim to fame, is that he fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter during the Civil War. Doubleday came from a long line of veterans, with his great grandfather, both grandfathers, and father all…
