Hamilton was no slouch on the field. His 937 career steals not only earned him his nickname, but still stands as the third most of all time, behind Rickey Henderson with 1149 and Lou Brock with 938. His lifetime .344 lifetime batting average puts him near the top of the list of all-time batting leaders. He hit better than .300 for 12 successive seasons.
Born in Newark, N.J., he played in the major leagues for 14 years, with Kansas City in the American Association from 1888-1889 and with the National League Philadelphia Phillies from 1890-1895, and the Boston Beaneaters from 1896 to 1901. According to the record books, he is still the only player whose runs scored (1690) exceeded his games played (1578).
After he retired from baseball, he stayed in Massachusetts, where he died in Worcester in 1940. He was buried in the Carr Hamilton plot in Eastwood Cemetery. Until recently, the only marker was the gray granite family stone, which is headed by Henry Carr, who was born in 1836 and died in 1921. Hamilton's wife, Rebecca, was buried in the same plot in 1957.
Phyllis Farnsworth, an avid baseball fan, knew that Hamilton was buried in Lancaster. When she was chairman of the Historical Commission, she began the drive to get a special marker on the grave.
While many Lancaster residents were unaware a Hall of Famer was buried in their town, many true baseball fans across the country did not
"Every once in a while, people visit the grave," said Jean Watson, a member of the commission who made getting the marker her pet project for the last couple of years. "People tour the graves of Hall of Famers. Some have visited almost every grave."
Sandy Foster, of the Lancaster Cemetery Department, said he has gotten several letters from people who were coming to visit and needed directions to the grave.
The new rose stone stands on Border Road, the first road on the right when you enter the cemetery. Sitting a small distance from the gray family stone, under the shade of a large tree, the marker lists Hamilton's baseball record.
See Billy Hamilton in the Baseball Hall of Fame