Mary Ewing Outerbridge | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 16, 1852 |
| Died | May 3, 1886 (aged 34) New Brighton, New York, U.S. |
| Resting place | Silver Mount Cemetery, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | Introducing tennis to the U.S. |
| Parent(s) | Alexander Ewing Outerbridge (1816–1900) Laura Catherine Harvey (1818–1867) |
| Relatives | Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge, brother |
Mary Ewing Outerbridge (February 16, 1852 – May 3, 1886) was an American woman who imported the lawn game tennis to the United States from Bermuda.[1]
In 1874, a Staten Island resident, Mary Ewing Outerbridge, was visiting relatives in Bermuda. She encountered a recent invention of an Englishman, Maj. Walter C. Wingfield, who had adapted an ancient ball sport. The adapted game was first played at a garden party in Wales in December 1873 and had just arrived in Bermuda, where British Army officers were playing it. In early 1874 Miss Outerbridge brought back from Bermuda a net, balls and rackets, and specifications for the size of the courts. The strange gear was confiscated by customs agents. Her brother A. Emilius Outerbridge, a shipping executive, used his pull to get the gear released. He was also an officer of the Staten Island Cricket and Baseball Club in St George, and that spring, his sister set up her court there. A national tournament was played on Staten Island on September 1, 1880. The overhand serve had not been invented, and the game resembled badminton. The cricket club's remaining grounds were converted to public courts in 1931. ...