Mineola Black Spiders

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The Mineola Black Spiders were an independent, all‑black baseball team from Mineola, Texas. They were sometimes called the Texas Black Spiders and also appeared as the Fort Worth Black Spiders or the Galveston-based Texas Black Spiders. They barnstormed across the United States from 1932 to at least 1941, often listing Iowa towns like Mason City, Charles City, and Waverly as headquarters.

The team was formed by Vernon “V.A.” Klingaman, an Iowa native who settled in Mineola in the late 1920s. They began traveling in 1932 in a black, windowless bus with a cobweb on the back, and they played exhibitions around the country. Players were paid a share of the gate, and in July 1932 a pay dispute led ten players to leave and join the Mason City Black Bats.

J.B. Griffin became the Spiders’ featured pitcher in 1932 and again in 1933. In 1934 the team returned to Iowa in the spring and featured Lonnie “Big Pitch” Arthur and Argusta “Speedball” Benson, though both left around mid‑July, and Griffin moved on to the Monroe Monarchs. In 1935 they added Baby Tilliford, a female pitcher who sometimes started games. The 1936 season brought an improved roster, with Buck O’Neil noting the Spiders had picked up some strong players.

O’Neil also said the Spiders entered the Denver Post Tournament in 1937 and that they may have faced the Negro league all‑stars, though this isn’t fully confirmed. The team reportedly undertook a Mexican tour, winning many games (22 wins in 29 outings). In 1937 they returned to the Midwest, based in Iowa again, and won the Southwest Iowa Baseball Tournament in Council Bluffs. They represented Iowa in the National Baseball Congress Tournament in Wichita that year, and some players from the squad were later signed by J. L. Wilkinson to travel with Satchel Paige’s All‑Stars.

Joe Scott played for the Spiders in 1939 and later played for the Birmingham Black Barons. That year they barnstormed with the House of Alexander Whiskered Wizards, with games near Yankton, South Dakota, and a doubleheader in Winnipeg. The Spiders appear to have disbanded mid‑season in Wichita, Kansas, with Scott moving on to the Dunsiath Giants. Teams using the Spiders’ name traveled Kansas and Nebraska in 1941, and another Spiders team defeated the Cedar Valley All‑Stars in Waverly, Iowa, in 1947.