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| Established | 1990 |
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| Location | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Coordinates | 39°05′29″N94°33′46″W / 39.0914°N 94.5627°W /39.0914; -94.5627 |
| Type | Professional sports |
| Website | www |
TheNegro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) is a privately funded museum dedicated to preserving the history ofNegro league baseball in America. It was founded in 1990 inKansas City, Missouri, in the historic18th & Vine District, the hub of African-American cultural activity in Kansas City during the first half of the 20th century. The NLBM shares its building with theAmerican Jazz Museum.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was founded in 1990 by a group of former Negro league baseball players, includingKansas City Monarchs outfielderAlfred Surratt,[1]Buck O'Neil,Larry Lester, Phil S. Dixon[2] and Horace Peterson.[3]
It moved from its original small, single-room office inside the Lincoln Building at historic 18th & Vine Streets in Kansas City to a 2,000-square-foot (190 m2) space in 1994.[3] Three years later, in 1997, the museum relocated again, to a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2), purpose-built structure five times the previous size.[4]
An advance screening of the movie42, abiographical film about the life ofJackie Robinson, who played for the Kansas City Monarchs prior to breaking baseball's color barrier, was held in Kansas City on April 11, 2013, a day before its nationwide release, as a benefit for the NLBM. ActorHarrison Ford, one of the stars of the film, participated in the fundraiser.[5]
The museum was on the verge of financial collapse in 2008 before rebounding with stronger leadership and greater engagement with the community.Bob Kendrick took over as President in 2011.[6] By 2012, the museum experienced a profit of $300,000, its most successful year since 2007.[7]
In June 2019, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was awarded the Gold American Award for Nonprofit Organization of the Year from the American Business Awards.[8]
The museum chronologically charts the progress of the Negro leagues with informative placards and interactive exhibits. Its walls are lined with pictures of players, owners, and officials of Negro league baseball from theNegro National League of 1920 through theNegro American League which lasted until 1962. As visitors progress through the exhibit, they move forward in time through the history of Black baseball. In one area of the museum, there are lockers set up for some of the legends of the Negro leagues. One can see game-worn uniforms, cleats, gloves, and other artifacts from stars such asJosh Gibson, the "BlackBabe Ruth."
An impressive aspect of the museum is the Field of Legends. Separated from the visitor at the entrance by chicken wire, it is accessible only at the end of the tour. One can walk onto a field adorned by nearly life-sized bronze statues of twelve figures from Negro league history. Crouching behind the plate is Gibson, one of the most prolific hitters in baseball history, a man who allegedly hit over 80home runs in one season. At first base is anotherBaseball Hall of Famer,Buck Leonard, a teammate of Gibson's with theHomestead Grays. At second base isJohn Henry Lloyd,Judy Johnson monitors shortstop, whileRay Dandridge holds down third base. In the outfield areCool Papa Bell,Oscar Charleston, andLeon Day. On the mound is perhaps the most famous Negro leaguer of all time,Satchel Paige, who became a rookie in the major leagues at age 42 in 1948. At the plate isMartín Dihigo, the only man to be inducted into the Halls of Fame in three countries:Mexico,Cuba, and the United States. Other statues commemorateRube Foster, the founder of the first Negro National League, andBuck O'Neil, a former Kansas City Monarch and a member of the board of the museum until his October 6, 2006, death.
On November 13, 2012, the family of Buck O'Neil donated two items to the museum in honor of what would have been his 101st birthday. O'Neil'sPresidential Medal of Freedom—awarded posthumously by PresidentGeorge W. Bush—was donated. Also given to the museum was a miniature replica of the Buck O' Neil statue which is displayed at theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The items are showcased in a special area of the NLBM dedicated to O'Neil.[9]
On June 5, 2008,Geddy Lee (of the Canadian bandRush), himself an avid baseball fan, donated nearly 200 autographed baseballs to the NLBM. The signatures on these baseballs include names such asHank Aaron, Cool Papa Bell, and Lionel Hampton. At the time, Geddy Lee's gift was one of the largest single donations the NLBM had ever received.[10]
Each year, the museum presents the following awards:
[U]nder Motley's direction [as executive director], the NLBM moved into a 10,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in November 1997.
Plans to move the museum to the old YMCA building and build the Buck O'Neil Education and Research Center have been put on hold in spite of a $1 million donation for that specific purpose by Julia Irene Kauffman, daughter of the late founder of the Kansas City Royals.
... Sean Gibson, the great-grandson of Hall of Famer Josh Gibson and the head of the Josh Gibson Foundation in Pittsburgh.
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