Above may be the earliest evidence of American Baseball being played outside of the United States. It is a cabinet photo of the 1870 Lincoln Baseball Club. They played in Bonn, Germany. Little is known of this team. All of the players are named on the back of the cabinet and thru research we have learned that several of the young men were from the New York city area. They attended the Kortegarn Institute in Bonn during the 1870 period. Whether the team was formed in America and traveled to Germany or was formed there is unknown. Most of these boys originated from the New York area and may well have known each other. Two were brothers, two more it appears were cousins... This cabinet presents the team in their uniforms with their baseball gear, including several bats and interestingly enough what appears to be American flags in the background... Kaiser Wilhelm is said to have played baseball with the young men.
