Bull Pen

Glossary of Games

Curated by Larry McCray and Jeffrey Kittel
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Game	Bull Pen
Game Family	Hook-em-snivy Hook-em-snivy
Location
Regions
Eras	Predecessor
Invented	No
Tags
Description	per Brewster [1953]. “Basemen” stand at each corner of a bounded field of play, and try to plug other players inside the bounds. Each player has three “eyes” [lives]. A player loses an “eye” if plugged or if a target player catches a ball thrown at him. There is no batting or baserunning in this game.
Sources	Paul G. Brewster, American Nonsinging Games (U Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1953), page 82-83.
Source Image	[[Image:|left|thumb]]
Comment	See Chronology for 1863 mention of Confederate soldiers playing "bull pen" near Kinston, NC. Also 1862.106. See the Lexington (MS) Union, Oct. 12, 1839, which compares the Whig Party rejecting candidates to boys playing bull pen. Edward Eggleston's 1882 novel "The Hoosier School-Boy" (stories of his growing up in southern Indiana c. 1850--he was born in Vevay, IN in 1837) contain on page 52 a long explanation of "bull-pen." Chapter VII is titled "Hat ball and bull-pen." See also the Troy Kansas Chief, Jan. 5, 1882, for a reply to Eggleston, where the author says he played bull-pen 40 years ago. Edit with form to add a comment
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