# Phil Casey's court

In: [Learn](https://handball.theperfectship.com/learn.md) > [History](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history.md) > [Places](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/places.md) > Phil Casey's court

- Address as printed: 297 Degraw street, Brooklyn
- Walls: 4
- Size: 65 feet long, 35 feet high at the front, tapering to 33 feet at the rear (width garbled in OCR)
- Surface: white pine boards (floor)
- Setting: Indoor
- Built: by 29 November 1887

## Dated facts

- 23 November 1887: The Brooklyn Handball Club (president Phil Casey) has a new court in Degraw Street, Brooklyn: 65 ft long, 24 ft wide, front wall 35 ft high faced with white marble, back wall 12 ft, white-pine floor Source: [The Sun (New York), 30 November 1887, p. 3](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030272/1887-11-30/ed-1/?sp=3) (OCR lines 592-600)
- 29 November 1887: Casey beat Lawlor in the first seven of the eleven New York games, winning the international match and the 'championship of the world', at the Brooklyn Handball Club court, Degraw Street Source: [The Sun (New York), 30 November 1887, p. 3](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030272/1887-11-30/ed-1/?sp=3) (OCR lines 538-560)
- 21 December 1888: Casey's court is at 297 Degraw street, Brooklyn (the Brooklyn Handball Club court) Source: [The Evening World (New York), 21 December 1888, p. 1](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030193/1888-12-21/ed-2/?sp=1) (OCR lines 444-445)
- about March 1889: The Brooklyn Handball Club holds a three-class tournament at its Degraw Street court, March-April 1889, with gold medals presented by the club Source: [The Sun (New York), 12 March 1889, p. 6](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030272/1889-03-12/ed-1/?sp=6) (OCR lines 603-613)
- by 21 November 1890: By 21 Nov 1890 Brooklyn courts play under the Sun's new service rule (serve only from the ace line); Casey endorses it Source: [The Sun (New York), 21 November 1890, p. 4](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030272/1890-11-21/ed-1/?sp=4) (OCR lines 1443-1448)
- by 29 November 1890: The Sun of 29 Nov 1890 notes that Phil Casey's Brooklyn court opened 'three years ago to-day', 29 Nov 1887, the night the first international match (Casey v. Lawlor of Dublin) was decided in it; the earlier games of the match had been played in Dublin on 6 Aug 1887 Source: [The Sun (New York), 29 November 1890, p. 4](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030272/1890-11-29/ed-1/?sp=4) (OCR lines 388-394)
- 4 June 1891: Lawlor (Ireland) v. Courtney with ten aces at the Brooklyn Handball Club court, 297 Degraw street Source: [The Sun (New York), 4 June 1891, p. 4](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030272/1891-06-04/ed-1/?sp=4) (OCR lines 1630-1631)
- 14 April 1898 to 29 April 1898: Second annual A.A.U. handball championship, Jersey City and Brooklyn clubs; Mike Egan retains the title after losing to Dr. Tommy Gillen in Brooklyn [Sources disagree] The start of the tournament is dated from an April 14, 1898 report that play was beginning that day, while the end of the range, April 29, comes from a wire report that Egan still held the title; the exact dates of the tournament are therefore not fixed. Source: [The Jersey City News (Jersey City), 1 April 1898, p. 3](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn87068097/1898-04-01/ed-1/?sp=3)

  **Date: sources disagree.** The value from the stronger source (the lower rank number) is preferred.
  - 14 April 1898 to 29 April 1898 (preferred, source rank 2): [The Jersey City News (Jersey City), 1 April 1898, p. 3](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn87068097/1898-04-01/ed-1/?sp=3)
  - 14 April 1898 (also given, source rank 2): [The Jersey City News (Jersey City), 1 April 1898, p. 3](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn87068097/1898-04-01/ed-1/?sp=3)

- 12 July 1904: Phil Casey, for 25 years handball champion of the world, died at his Brooklyn home on 12 July 1904, aged 56 Source: [New-York Tribune (New York), 13 July 1904, p. 4](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030214/1904-07-13/ed-1/?sp=4) (OCR lines 757)
- 3 January 1908: Brooklyn real-estate report: 'a three story brick building and handball court, known as Casey's Ball Court', on Degraw St, sold to John Muldoon Source: [New-York Tribune (New York), 3 January 1908, p. 12](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030214/1908-01-03/ed-1/?sp=12) (OCR lines 371-374)

## Sources

- [Maurice W. Deshong, The Game of Hand Ball and How to Play It (1893)](https://www.loc.gov/item/ca05001384/) (OCR lines 257)
- [Robert L. Ripley (ed.), Spalding's Official Handball Guide (1923)](https://www.loc.gov/item/23002979/) (OCR lines 3050-3051)
- [The Sun (New York), 30 November 1887, p. 3](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030272/1887-11-30/ed-1/?sp=3) (OCR lines 592-600)
- [New-York Tribune (New York), 30 November 1887, p. 7](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030214/1887-11-30/ed-1/?sp=7) (OCR lines 510-515)
- [The Evening World (New York), 21 December 1888, p. 1](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030193/1888-12-21/ed-2/?sp=1) (OCR lines 444-445)
- [The Sun (New York), 12 March 1889, p. 6](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030272/1889-03-12/ed-1/?sp=6) (OCR lines 603-613)
- [The Sun (New York), 21 November 1890, p. 4](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030272/1890-11-21/ed-1/?sp=4) (OCR lines 1443-1448)
- [The Sun (New York), 1 November 1890, p. 4](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030272/1890-11-01/ed-1/?sp=4) (OCR lines 1497)
- [The Sun (New York), 1 December 1890, p. 4](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030272/1890-12-01/ed-1/?sp=4) (OCR lines 1049-1085)
- [The Sun (New York), 29 November 1890, p. 4](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030272/1890-11-29/ed-1/?sp=4) (OCR lines 388-394)
- [The Sun (New York), 4 June 1891, p. 4](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030272/1891-06-04/ed-1/?sp=4) (OCR lines 1630-1631)
- [The Jersey City News (Jersey City), 1 April 1898, p. 3](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn87068097/1898-04-01/ed-1/?sp=3)
- [The Jersey City News (Jersey City), 21 April 1898, p. 3](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn87068097/1898-04-21/ed-1/?sp=3)
- [Worcester Morning Daily Spy (Worcester), 30 April 1898, p. 6](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn93058748/1898-04-30/ed-1/?sp=6)
- [New-York Tribune (New York), 13 July 1904, p. 4](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030214/1904-07-13/ed-1/?sp=4) (OCR lines 757)
- [Waterbury Evening Democrat (Waterbury), 12 July 1904, p. 11](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn93053726/1904-07-12/ed-1/?sp=11) (OCR lines 619)
- [New-York Tribune (New York), 3 January 1908, p. 12](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030214/1908-01-03/ed-1/?sp=12) (OCR lines 371-374)

## Corrections

Found a mistake, or a source we missed? Email perfectshipllc@gmail.com with the subject "History correction: Phil Casey's court (/history/places/phil-caseys-court-brooklyn/)". Please name the page and, if you can, the source.