The St. Louis Stars were a professional baseball team in the Negro Leagues, active from 1922 to 1931 and then again from 1937 to 1945. While they are the most remembered Negro League organization based in St. Louis, they were not the first.
The St. Louis Giants were the first St. Louis based professional baseball team in the Negro Leagues. They were active from 1906 to 1919.
Team lore has the franchise being started by Charles Mills a once St. Louis Bank messenger and bar owner. An excellent resource on Mr. Mills and the early Giants can be found here.
The Giants had some notable achievements, including winning the St. Louis City League championship in 1912 and 1913. During their history, they had many talented players, including pitcher and later manager Bill Gatewood, whom Mills convinced to come and play in St. Louis, beginning in 1910.
These early years the Giants were much like a barnstorming team as the Negro League was still in its infancy. Reimbursement of play was still developing. Pay in the early days was characterized as playing for meal money. There were not many loyalties between team and player back then. Mills built the Giants into a power by raiding the talent from other teams.
They played at Kuebler Park at 6100 Broadway, but the team faced many challenges due to the racial segregation of baseball at the time. They had to deal with discrimination and unequal treatment, such as limited access to resources and facilities, lower salaries, and fewer opportunities for advancement. In fact, by 1917 the team was struggling to find a regular home to play. Phillip Ball owner of the St. Louis Browns pushed to keep the Giants from playing in the Federal League Park. By 1918, the Giants did not field a team for the season. They were up and running again for the 1919 season with a working payroll of just over $3,700, and were an inaugural member of the newly established Negro National League in 1920.
The 1921 St. Louis Giants were a powerhouse team in the Negro Leagues, featuring some of the most talented players of their time. Mills had secured the rights to one of the greatest Negro Leagues player Oscar Charleston, considered the Black Ty Cobb. He led the Giants to dominate their competition en route to a remarkable season. They were 47-32-1, offensively a powerhouse, but pitching was a bit more limited.
Despite the better competitive product put n the field, Mills still couldn’t couldn’t make the team financially viable. In March of 1922, Mills could no longer retain the team and meet the newly established Negro National League’s requirements for membership. The club was sold and the name of the team changed to the Stars.
During their history, the St. Louis Stars had many talented players, including Hall of Famers Cool Papa Bell, Willie Wells, and Mule Suttles. They also had successful managers, such as Bill Gatewood and Charlie Mills.
The Stars had some notable achievements, including winning the Negro National League championship in 1928 and the Negro American League championship in 1931. They also had several appearances in the Negro League World Series.
Without question James “Cool Papa” Bell is the most famous St. Louis based Negro League player. A centerfielder, considered one of the fastest to ever play the game. He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974. What is absolutely Amazing to consider, an average St. Louisian in 1922 had the opportunity to watch the best players in the American, National, and Negro National leagues all in one summer.
The team would eventually shut down in 1931. Overall, five players that wore a Stars or Giant uniform, playing at the same time as Hornsby and Sisler were elected to the Hall of Fame. Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, Mule Suttles, Biz Mackey, and Willie Wells.
Excellent online references:
Click to access Charles%20Mills%202018-04.pdf
Nielsen, E. (2020, December 03). St. Louis Stars (St. Louis Giants) (1906-1943). BlackPast.org. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/st-louis-stars-st-louis-giants-1906-1943/
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