The umpire issues a warning to the pitcher, but not for a brush-back pitch. He warns Jim “Granddad” Apple to throw hittable pitches. If not, he’s going to start calling balls.

As players take the field, they are missing one very obvious piece of equipment taken for granted – a glove.

Catcher Scott “Curly” Murphy snags a foul tip on the bounce and it’s counted as an out.

Game has changed over the past 150 years The game of baseball has gone through an evolution, yet many of the basic rules (such as nine players) have never changed. Consider some of the rules during the mid- to late-1800s: Fielders did not wear gloves. Foul balls did not count as strikes. The pitcher threw underhand 45 feet from home plate. The catcher was one of the most important players on the field because any foul tips caught on a bounce counted as an out. The first batter in an inning followed the batter who made the last out the previous inning. If the pitcher failed to deliver hittable pitches, the umpire issued a warning and then called balls on subsequent pitches deemed to be unhittable. If the batter (striker) did not attempt to hit good pitches, the umpire issued a warning and called strikes on subsequent good pitches. Even the terminology has changed: ballist – player; arbiter – umpire; tally – score; crank – fan; garden – outfield; dead – out; striker – batter. See more rules at diamondstatebaseball.org.

Is this some kind of strange dream about baseball? Actually, it’s the way baseball was played after the Civil War in the late 1860s.

The Diamond State Vintage Baseball Club is resurrecting the roots of the American pastime as a team in the Mid-Atlantic Vintage Baseball League. The teams play a complete schedule using vintage rules and equipment without gloves, which didn’t become part of the game until the 1890s. Diamond State was an actual team based in Wilmington that played for about a decade after the Civil War.

Teams played with nine players and games went nine innings, but there were many variations on the rules of today’s game such as three balls for a walk and foul balls not counting as strikes. In addition, balls could be caught on one bounce for an out.

Diamond State brought the vintage game to Lewes Saturday, Aug. 21, hosted by the Lewes, Rehoboth and Milton historical societies. Players from the Talbot Fair Plays in Easton, Md., the Elkton (Md.) Eclipse and Bohemia (Md.) Eurekas combined with Diamond State to play on the grounds of the University of Delaware Virden Center before hundreds of enthusiastic fans.

John Medkeff, captain and Diamond States’ founder, went over the rules prior to the game. “You’ll forget everything I have said, you really need to get out and play the game,” he said.

He also spent time answering questions from fans. He said the older game was much quicker because batters didn’t waste a lot of time in the batter’s box. Once batters stepped near the plate, the pitcher could deliver his underhand pitch. Pitchers faced 25-cent fines for throwing curves or fastballs. Even though the game was quicker, high scores were not unusual because of rules that favored the hitting team.

Mike DiPaolo, executive director of the Lewes Historical Society, said he hopes the interest generated from the game will lead to the formation of a team from the Cape Region.

Participants echoed his sentiments. “I really like the game, especially the one-bounce rule,” said Russ McCabe of Milton. “I’d like to see us form a team in this area.” He liked the name Cape Henlopen Pirates, named after the Rehoboth Beach Eastern Shore League team.

Andy Lewes, who played right field, agreed. The Lewes Little League president has attended a few vintage games in the past and was anxious to play under the old rules.

But even the one-bounce rule could not help him catch a hard shot down the line that was a key hit in Diamond States’ 11-run fourth inning.

Anyone wanting more information about forming a local team, contact DiPaolo at 302-645-7670.

The Cape Region is unique with the oldest house, the first town, the only Lightship, shipwrecks, pirates, one of the largest U.S. forts and even a tent city.

Where is the Overfalls?
The Lightship Overalls, one of the most recognizable and historic landmarks in the Cape Region, never navigated the waters off the Cape coast. But, one of four lightships that was stationed on Overfalls Shoals, three miles off the coast, is a museum in Portsmouth, Va., harbor. Confused?

It’s tradition to take the name of the station where the lightships were retired. So, the Lightship Overfalls was the Lightship Boston and the Lightship Portsmouth was the Lightship Overfalls.

The Overfalls had a distinguished career before the Coast Guard donated it to the Lewes Historical Society in 1973, when it was moved to the canal in downtown Lewes.  Between 1938 and 1972 it was stationed at three different lightship stations: first, at Cornfield Point off the coast of Connecticut, then at the Cross Rip Station off the coast of Massachusetts and finally the Boston Station just off Cape Cod.

To confuse matters, there was an Overfalls station located three miles off the coast of Cape Henlopen served by four lightships between 1898 and 1960 – but not the Lightship Overalls in Lewes. The ship has since been turned over to the Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation. Go to overfalls.org.

Who’s on first?
Lewes proclaims to be the home of the first permanent settlement in Delaware. That Dutch settlement, from 1629-1631, lasted a little over a year and was on lands considered part of Pennsylvania at the time. The Swedes built a permanent fort in 1638 in what is now Wilmington. A second Dutch fort was built near Lewes in 1659. Lewes served as county seat until 1791.

All in a name
Although the City of Lewes celebrates its heritage with links to the Dutch, the name that stuck, Lewes, came from English settlers in 1682. Lewes has been a town of several names including Sikomess, Swanendael, Hoorn, Whorekill, Deale and finally Lewes in honor of the town of Lewes in Sussex County, England.

The Summer Capital
Rehoboth Beach, known as the Nation’s Summer Capital, gets that moniker from the number of people from the Washington, D.C., area who vacation or retire to the resort.

Arms for all
In an effort to stop pirate raids that were frequent in the late 1690s, Lewes passed a law requiring all citizens to own a musket and ammunition for protection against pirates. It must have worked because the raids subsided.

Gold in those dunes
Legend has it that Capt. Kidd buried a chest of gold in the Cape Henlopen sand dunes in 1700. As much as the dunes have moved around over the centuries, it’s doubtful his pot of gold is in the same location where he buried it.

Historic Fort Miles
One of the most highly fortified and largest forts ever built on U.S. soil was constructed on land that is now Cape Henlopen State Park. Fort Miles, which actually has roots back to the World War I era, was key in Atlantic defenses in World War II to protect the valuable Port of Philadelphia. Even after the war, the fort was in the midst of the Cold War serving as a top-secret listening post for Russian submarines. Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS), started in 1949, consisted of a series of listening posts around the world. Remnants of the fort exist and the Fort Miles Historical Association coordinates special events. Go to www.fortmilesha.org.

Rockets red glare
Yes, there is an actual cannonball house on Front Street in downtown Lewes. The house was hit by a British frigate bombardment during the War of 1812 that claimed the lives of a pig and hen. The bombardment, which occurred April 6 and 7, 1813, ensued when Lewes residents refused to provide supplies to the British. Look for a cannonball near the foundation (and it’s not from the War of 1812 – sorry to burst your bubble).

Fooling the British
A well-known children’s book, Cornstalks and Cannonballs, describes how Lewes residents used cornstalks as guns totted by marching town resident “troops” to fool the British and keep them from coming ashore during the bombardment.

Important brothers
Two governors who were born in Lewes were brothers. Daniel Rodney, the 15th governor, served from 1814-1817 and Caleb Rodney, the 23rd governor, served from 1822-1823. The state’s 34th governor, Joseph Maull of Lewes, served for just nine weeks before dying in office on May 3, 1846. He succeeded Gov. Thomas Stockton who died in office nine weeks earlier.

The Chunk is born
The idea for one of the most bizarre events in the country, Punkin Chunkin, was hatched in 1986 in a Lewes blacksmith shop over an argument who could throw an anvil the farthest. The anvils changed to pumpkins and the event was born, and has grown into an internationally recognized rite of fall. Incidentally, the world championship event does not take place in Lewes, but in Bridgeville, about 30 miles to the west. Go to www.punkinchunkin.com.

Ferry gets hooked
The Cape May-Lewes Ferry, an icon of the Cape Region for nearly 50 years, got off to a less than perfect start. On the ceremonial twin crossing June 30, 1964, for dignitaries and invited guests, the SS Cape May pulled into the Lewes dock, and the captain hooked one of the ferry’s propellers onto a steel cable, which wrapped around the propeller shaft. Hundreds of New Jersey passengers embarked to participate in the Lewes dedication ceremony learning they were stranded.

A second ferry, SS Cape Henlopen, which had left from Lewes earlier in the day to take Delaware dignitaries and passengers to Cape May, returned and make another trip back across the Delaware Bay to take the New Jersey guests back home.

Since that less than auspicious start, more than 11 million vehicles and 34 million passengers have crossed the bay. Go to www.capemaylewesferry.com.

Oldest house and tombstone
The oldest house in Delaware, dating back to 1665, was an inn and the home of Ryves Holt, first chief justice of Delaware, sheriff, king’s attorney for Sussex and assembly member between 1745 and 1755. Go to www.historiclewes.org.

One of the oldest tombstones in Delaware can be found at historic St. Peter’s Episcopal Church next door to the Holt house in downtown Lewes. Margaret Huling was born in 1631 and died in 1707. The cemetery is filled with interesting tombstones, including that of Elizabeth Cullen who was born Feb. 30, 1760. Go to www.StPetersLewes.org.

Rehoboth’s religious roots
It appears the City of Rehoboth Beach was never intended to be a full-time city, but one reserved to the celebration of the Lord. The Rev. Robert Todd, a Methodist minister from Wilmington, had a dream, literally, of a camp meeting resort along the coast of what is now Rehoboth Beach (Rehoboth means broad places). On Jan. 27, 1873, the first camp was established with tent houses for summer retreats. Go to www.rehobothbeachmuseum.org.

A poet, ships, buttons and holly
Milton, named for poet John Milton who never visited the area, was known as the Head of the Broadkiln until 1807. The town was an important inland port known for its shipbuilding. It was also the Holly Capital of the World for decades, as the largest producer of Christmas and holiday holly wreaths.

If you dig a few inches into the soil in and around downtown Milton, you will probably find shiny pieces of mother-of-pearl shell used to make buttons, another major cottage industry in Milton’s past. Go to historicmilton.com.

Towering over the dunes
Those large towers dotting the coastline are called fire control towers, yet they weren’t used to spot fires or fire guns. Instead, the towers, built quickly in 1941, were used by troops to help locate and direct fire of the huge Fort Miles guns. The towers, ranging from 40 to 90 feet tall, were built to last 10 years, but all 11 built on the Delaware side of the bay are still standing. One in Cape Henlopen State Park has been restored and is open to the public.

Coins along the shore
Coin Beach, located between Fenwick Island and Rehoboth Beach, is a favorite spot for treasure seekers. Many 18th century coins have been found washed up on the shore. The coins are reported to be from the Three Brothers, which sunk in 1775, and the Faithful Steward, which sunk in 1785.

Famous shipwreck
The most famous shipwreck in the Cape Region is that of the HMB DeBraak which went down in rough seas in 1798 off what is now Cape Henlopen State Park. Although the Lewes pilot survived the wreck, the captain, 35 crew and 12 Spanish prisoners perished. They were buried in a makeshift cemetery that is now the location of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal and parking lot. They were later interred and the British sailors’ remains are buried on the grounds of the Zwaanendael Museum in Lewes.

But that was not the end of the DeBraak. For years treasure seekers searched for the ill-fated ship. When she was finally located in 1984, salvagers Sub-Sal had little regard for archeological protocol and destroyed many artifacts as well as the hull. The ship was turned over to the state of Delaware and the hull is currently in a water-filled tank in a large building, closed to the public, on the grounds of Cape Henlopen State Park. State archaeologists tagged more than 26,000 items. Some of the artifacts are on display at the Zwaanendael Museum in Lewes, but most are in storage in Dover. The artifacts that remain are considered the best collection of 18th century military hardware from a naval context. Many pieces are rare, if not one-of-a-kind. The collection served as a resource for the director of the movie “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” starring Russell Crowe as a Royal Navy captain.

The treasure was estimated to be around $500 million; the value of treasure found has been estimated at $300,000.

Lighting up the Cape
Cape Region towns are tied to the sea, and what better symbol of that history is a lighthouse. At least four lighthouses have helped seaman navigate the transition from ocean to bay off Cape Henlopen – two are still standing.

The most famous of the four, the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse, has something in common with the White House in Washington, D.C. It was also burned by the British, but in a different war, in 1777. The lighthouse, built on the Great Dune in 1767, was in service for more than 150 years before it fell into the sea on April 13, 1926 (it wasn’t Friday the 13th). Shifting sands on the dune did in the lighthouse.

Stone fragments from the landmark ended up as fireplaces, fences and walls of area homes.

The fate of another lighthouse, built about one mile north of the Cape light, is unknown. The 45-foot Cape Beacon was built in 1824.

The Delaware River and Bay Lighthouse Foundation now owns the two remaining lighthouses. The Harbor of Refuge lighthouse, built in 1926, is still a functional, automated lighthouse. The Delaware Breakwater lighthouse, which was in service from 1885 to 1996, is a tourist attraction.

Because of damage caused by winter storms, the Harbor of Refuge light will not be open for tours this summer season. Go to delawarebaylights.org.

First public lands
William Penn made the beaches of Cape Henlopen one of the first public lands established in what was to become the United States in 1682 with the declaration that Cape Henlopen would be for “the usage of the citizens of Lewes and Sussex County.”

The lands were taken over by the military during times of war and during World War II Fort Miles was built. The land reverted back to public use in the 1960s with the establishment of Cape Henlopen State Park in 1964. Today, the park has more than 5,100 acres.

Two rows of gray stone bricks sat against the far wall in Battery 519. On each was the name of a veteran or Fort Miles volunteer, and behind each was a story. Dozens gathered in the bunker to share those stories and preserve a part of Lewes’ history.

fortmiles.org » fortmilesha.org »

Gary Wray, president of the Fort Miles Historical Association, said pavers were sold as a fundraising effort to turn Battery 519 into a full-fledged World War II museum. He was expecting to sell 30 in the first round, open exclusively to association members; the association sold 60.

“That shows you the support,” he said. The Saturday, Aug. 7 ceremony was officially an unveiling, but as people stood to share the stories behind the bricks, it turned into a remembrance. David Main, a Dewey Beach property owner and former association board member, bought two bricks. One was for his father, who rode with Gen. George Patton’s 1st Armored Division through France, and the other was for his step-grandfather, who spent 20 years in the army reserve and retired as a major.

Bob Fellows, publicity manager for the association, bought a paver in memory of a friend. He stressed the importance of preserving the past.

“I am so proud to be in a room with a bunch of veterans telling true stories about World War II,” he said. “They need to hear about the sacrifices that were made.”

Telling stories isn’t always easy – Main later said he remembered seeing “Patton” – a biographical film chronicling the general’s campaigns across North Africa, Italy and France – with his father. During the intermission, the veteran was quiet. Main said his father thought the movie was almost a little too vivid, prompting painful memories of how the battlefield felt, smelled and sounded. His father lost his best friend during the French campaign, Main said, and he didn’t relish his memories of the war.

For some, airing memories was cathartic. Wray said he’s received several emotional emails since the ceremony. They reaffirm the importance of establishing Battery 519 as a museum, he said.

At $200 each, initial paver sales raised $12,000 for the association, which is still a long way from the estimated $2 million to $3 million needed to complete the project. Wray guessed they’d have enough money in five or six years.

“We’re inching the ball forward,” he said. “Every year, it gets better and better.” While the first sales were open to association members, Wray said the pavers are now available to the entire community. He’s confident they’ll sell despite a national economic recession.

“It’s not a good time and all that, but we have tremendous community support,” he said. “We’ve been working on this now for 10 years. We’ve come a long way, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

Baseball tryouts are Sept. 12
The Surf Bagel Bombers will be conducting their final travel baseball tryouts at 4 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 12, at Sports at the Beach, Route 9 east of Georgetown.

The Bombers are looking to fill a few roster spots for 2011 U10, U11 and U12 teams. For more information, email Adam Gelof at agelof@comcast.net.

Quilt, arts fest set for Sept. 10-11
Artists from 5 to 85-plus will exhibit “ageless art” as part of Cadbury at Lewes’ Quilt & Arts Festival scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Sept. 10 and 11, on the 35-acre campus on Gills Neck Road, Lewes. This beautiful campus is the ideal setting for an indoor show of quilts, pottery, woodworking, jewelry and art.

Presenting the largest display of quilts in the beach area, the Ocean Waves Quilt Guild will be giving demonstrations and offering items for sale.

A Wine & Sweet Dreams preview reception will be from 7 to 9 p.m., Sept 10, with tickets $20 per person. The event will feature Kevin Fleming previewing his newest book, “Wild Delmarva,” along with wine, desserts and music plus a chance to win a framed Kevin Fleming print. There is free admission from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Sept 11.

Artists are invited to apply by contacting Patti Griffith at 644-7998, pgriffith@cadbury.org or by printing an application at cadbury.org/foundation.