The formation of major leagues began in New York City on February 6 1876. The exact location was in the Grand Central Hotel. The executives came from various cities. They called this group of teams the National League.
League play began in April of 1876. The teams in the league were the following:
The Boston Red Caps.
The Chicago White Stockings
The Cincinnati Red Stockings
The Hartford Dark Blues
The Louisville Grays
The New York Mutuals
The Philadelphia Athletics
The Saint Louis Brown Stockings
Only the Chicago Team renamed to the Cubs in 1901 has played continuously from 1876 to the present time.