The Putnam County Girls Softball League turned 30 years old in 2010.

Donna Mahoney, Wallace Estes and E June Tilley originally incorporated it as the Greencastle Girls Softball Association on March 19th, 1980. Barb Rader and Betty Yotes originally founded the league in 1975. All because their girls didn’t think it was fair the boys got to play ball and the girls didn’t.

The first year they played at the boy’s Little League field and only had 3 or 4 teams and played on Saturdays. The following year they moved to Blackstock because a boy’s all-star team wanted to practice on Saturday. So with a bag of broken equipment and $50 they moved. For a concession stand they sold soft drinks from a cooler.

In 1979, the league moved out behind the Heartland Industries and played on the 3 diamonds there. The diamonds were agri-lime and did not have any fences, only backstops. The concession stand was a 7X14 wooden shed.

Then in July 1989, the Sports Park opened and the league moved there. The league had no choice because Heartland was going to expand and needed the ground where the fields were. So with a lot of volunteer help, they moved equipment and the concession stand.

Over the years there have been many changes in the board, dugouts built, a field lit and a new concession stand built. Many thanks to all who have given their time and labor.

Read the entire article in the Banner-Graphic of Greencastle.