This is picture from a post card showing the Old YMCA Armory.  It was the site of the first basketball game played outside the state of Massachusetts, where Dr. James Naismith invented the game in 1891. The game was played on October 16, 1894.   The Crawfordsville YMCA played the Lafayette YMCA with Crawfordsville winning.  On February 19, 1897, Wabash College and Purdue University got together and played the first basketball game  between two college teams using just five players.  The earlier games featured nine players on each side.  Wabash won the first game 23-13 and a great basketball tradition began.