Remembering Julius Caesar of Portland
by Roman Norfleet 7/14/26
In the early 1900’s, Portland, Oregon was home to a familiar and unforgettable figure named Julius Caesar. He became a part of the city’s folklore through his love for baseball, flamboyant outfits, speeches and dynamic presence. Though largely forgotten today, he is also said to have coined the phrase “Play Ball!”, which is now popular today amongst the baseball and sports world at large.
I first learned about Julius during my research on Black Americans who had been burried in Lone Fir Cemetery, the oldest cemetery in Portland. The way I was able to vividly see his life and journey in my minds eye while researching him moved me deeply. It was as if I knew him. There is a lot of mystery and conflicting information made public surrounding Julius’s history, so spiritually guided, his grave site became a frequent source (energetic portal) of information and communication for further learning and understanding. With that being mentioned, it is important for readers and researchers to know that it is not the best pratice to extract energy from graveyards without proper spiritual protocol, hygiene and offerings. Spirits and ancestors don’t often stay at their resting place, if even still in contact with this plane, but they can be very protective of it. Contacting spirits or the ancestral realm in the cemetery should not be done for entertainment, notoriety or profit. In some cases traditional educational research is also discouraged in cemetery portals and in those cases it is best to use public archives, historic records and other alternative methods of research. Physical injury or other harm can be the result of taking this lightly. Being transparent, physical injury (as offering) often is a requirement during cemetery work even for serious spiritual practioners attempting to communicate with the spirit world. In my case I was even locked in the cemetery while visiting Julius’s grave.
(Photo from The Morning Oregonian article a day after Julius Caesar’s Death - July 05, 1906)
Julius Caesar, also known as Caesar Taylor, a name imposed upon him by his enslaver, is believed by most sources to have been born around 1850 in Columbus, Mississippi. He was enslaved at birth by B. T. Taylor. Below I share an artilce below that mentions him being born in Alexandria, VA, but census records and the 1860 slave schedule associated with B. T. Taylor, strongly suggest that Julius's origins were in Lowndes County, Mississippi. After Emancipation, B. T. Taylor decided to move to Oregon with his family, Julius would have been around 15 years old at this time and was now legally free. Julius however followed the Taylor family to Oregon where they eventually settled in Corvallis. There were a lot formerly enslaved people who stayed with their former enslavers during Reconstruction for survival. Freedom did not come with resources for the majority of the newly emancipated. They had no land, livestock, tools or housing. Most only owned the clothes on their back. The 1870 census counts Julius (Caesar Taylor) as a servant in the household with the Taylor family, but Julius shortly after that adventured off on his own. Once again the information made public about him can be a bit confusing and hard to verify, but it is said that he moved to San Francisco, California after leaving the Taylor family house. Multiple sources tell us that during his time in San Francisco, Julius became interested in politics and even started giving speeches in support of the Republican party. He also started to become known for his love for and recitation of Shakespeare, which is where he got the name Julius Caesar. In the mid to late 1880s Julius made his way to Portland, Oregon where he became an entrepreneur and a well-known local figure. He established two businesses: a shoeshine stand and a butcher shop, which helped make him a familiar face throughout the city.
(Sketch from Weird Portland Blogspot written by JD Chandler via the Oregonian Historical Society or Multnomah County Library)What made Julius most famous was his involvement with the Multnomah Club and their baseball games in the 1890s. He was a baseball fanatic who became a fixture at local games, known for his extravagant outfits and unforgettable energy. He eventually became the Multnomah Club's mascot, and started to give speeches and perform "coon songs" at baseball games. "Coon songs" were a form of racist popular entertainment common in the late nineteenth century. Julius is also often credited with coining the now widely used phrase “Play Ball!”. During the games, Julius would often, in a playful, jester-like manner, sneak up behind people and shout, "Play Ball!," sometimes startling them. Decades later, his name became more widely known when his story and the phrase were featured in a 1973 edition of Ripley's Believe It or Not!. "Play Ball!" is even engraved on Julius's headstone. I also want to mention that just days ago as I write this, news outlets reported the MLB tried to recently trademark the phrase “Play Ball”, but was denied due to the term being too commonplace and functioning as an everyday expression rather than pointing to a specific brand.
It is important to note that, despite his status as an entertainer for the Multnomah Club, Julius still faced racism and prejudice in Portland. In an article by writer and historian J. D. Chandler, Caesar is said to have often been a subject of ridicule amongst white Portlanders. The article also mentions him being pelted with rocks and subjected to racial slurs when the club lost a game. Julius created a life for himself in Portland during an era when opportunities for Black Americans in Oregon were severely limited. At the time, Oregon's Black population was very small, and the state had a long history of exclusionary laws and racial discrimination. Among these was the infamous Lash Law, which imposed severe punishments on Black people who entered or remained in the state. The racist language authorizing Oregon's exclusion laws even remained in the state's constitution until 2002.
In the early 1900s, Julius experienced personal difficulties that became part of the final chapter of his life. Most sources describe a failed marriage and struggles with alcoholism before his death. I happen to live in the area where Julius spent his last days. According to several accounts, he spent much of his time in Portland's Chinatown, where he was known to drink "Chinee gin," a dangerous bootleg Chinese liquor commonly mentioned in newspaper reports of the era. He also spent a lot of time at Schiller's Cigar Store on Fourth and Washington, where he befriended W. C. "Jerry" Powers, who later saw to it that Julius received a proper burial and headstone. (Note that an article attached below mentions Jack King also raising money for Julius’s funeral.)
(Photos of Julius Caesars grave in Lone Fir Cemetery *note incorrect date and mispelling of Caesar* taken by Roman Norfleet)
On July 4, 1906, Julius was found dead on a pile of lumber on Alder street under a dock. Most reports attribute Julius's death to failing health in his final years, compounded by alcoholism, and this was the explanation commonly accepted in Portland at the time. However, according to J. D. Chandler's article Julius “Play Ball” Caesar, there was also some suspicion that violence may have been involved. Days after his passing, a Morning Oregonian article published on July 7, 1906, reported on Julius's funeral procession from Finley’s Chapel to Lone Fir Cemetery. It described Caesar's body as being dressed in a fine suit and bearing a peaceful expression as he lay in his casket. Numerous friends were said to be in attendance sharing stories about Julius. The article also reported that Rev. G. E. Jackson, pastor of the Afro-American Church, spoke a few words in Julius's honor. Julius was laid to rest with dignity, surrounded by a community of friends who cared about him.
There were quite a few articles written about Julius after his death, and although newspapers like The Oregonian and the Oregon Journal documented and celebrated aspects of his life, their portrayals of him were also shaped by the racial attitudes of the era. He was often described using racist terms such as "darky," spoken of almost as if he were property of the city, and valued primarily for the entertainment he provided. These were common attitudes toward Black people among many white Americans at the time. It should also be noted that minstrelsy and some vaudeville rooted in racist stereotypes of Black Americans were extremely popular forms of entertainment during this period and speak to how some may have viewed Julius. They often consisted of white men dressing up as Black Americans with exaggerated, cartoon-like features. Black performers who participated did so within a complicated system shaped by both opportunity and racial oppression. Whether by choice or necessity, they were often expected to sing degrading songs, such as the "coon songs" mentioned above, and portray subservient or stereotypical characters in order to survive and earn a living. A lot of the articles written about Julius after his death portray him as a minstrel-like character in Portland whose purpose was to make people laugh and entertain them. Yet beneath those portrayals was a man whose humanity extended far beyond the role others placed upon him — one who survived enslavement, navigated the challenges of his era, created a life for himself, and became an enduring part of Portland's history. May Julius, now an ancestor, be honored and remembered for his strength, resilience, entrepreneurial spirit, joy, and the lasting impact he left on Portland, Oregon. And so it is.
Below are articles from the Oregon Journal, the Oregonian and the Corvallis Gazette that refer to Julius Caesar. Also included is the 1860 slave schedule of B. T. Taylor.
Most articles sourced from the Oregon Journal and the Oregonian with assistance from the Oregon Historical Society. Additional articles sourced from the Multnomah Athletic Club (yellow article from Oct. 1921), Corvallis Gazette (Caesar in Politics) and Ancestry.
1860 slave sourced schedule from Ancestry.