Baseball Heritage Museum facts for kids
The museum in 2021
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| Established | July 7, 1997 |
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| Location | 6601 Lexington Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, 44103 |
The Baseball Heritage Museum is a cool place in the Hough neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. It's all about the history of baseball! The museum started in 1997. You can find it at League Park, which used to be the home field for the Cleveland Indians baseball team. The museum is part of the newly fixed-up League Park area. It's actually inside the old ticket building of the park.
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History of the Museum
The Baseball Heritage Museum began in 1997. Its first home was in downtown Cleveland. Robert Zimmer, the museum's founder, first showed his family's collection of baseball items. This happened at his family's jewelry store. It was during the 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in Cleveland.
Growing the Collection
The museum's collection grew a lot from Robert Zimmer's personal items. It started to include baseball artifacts from many different leagues. These included the major leagues, where famous players play. It also had items from the Negro leagues, which were baseball leagues for African American players. There were also items from women's baseball leagues. Plus, it showed history from Caribbean leagues and other special teams.
In May 2006, the first "Baseball Heritage Museum Festival" took place. Famous former players like Bob Feller and Buck O'Neill came to visit.
Moving to League Park
In 2006, the museum moved to a second spot. This was in the Euclid Arcade on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. Finally, in 2014, the museum moved to its current home. This move happened when League Park was being renovated.
League Park was once the home of the Cleveland Indians and other Cleveland teams. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As part of a big project, League Park was updated in 2014. It now has a new baseball field. The museum is located in the old Ticket House of League Park, which was also fixed up.
In 2014, about 2,000 people came to the grand opening. This was for the new museum location at League Park.
Museum Leadership and Programs
Vern Fuller, a former infielder for the Cleveland Indians, was the first executive director. In 2017, Mike Gaynier took over this role.
Today, the museum does more than just show history. It sponsors the Baseball Heritage Museum Buckeyes Travel Baseball Team Program. It also holds youth clinics and other events. These events take place at the newly renovated League Park.
