Homestead Grays Negro League Baseball Team, 1913
“Satchel Paige was the best and fastest pitcher I’ve ever faced.” –-Joe DiMaggio, recalling the time he faced Paige as part of his tryout for major league baseball. DiMaggio went 1 for 5 against Paige.
“The only change is that baseball has turned Paige from a second class citizen to a second class immortal.” –Paige, after the major leagues integrated in the late 1940s and finally allowed him in – at age 42.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum chronicles the compelling story of segregated baseball, from the founding of the Negro National League just a few blocks away in 1920, until Jackie Robinson, who played for the Kansas City Monarchs, signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The museum resides in the 18th and Vine District of Kansas City, the hub of African-American cultural activity in Kansas City during the first half of the 20th century. Within the same building is the American Jazz Museum, celebrating Kansas City’s likewise vibrant jazz scene during that same time period.
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 the Negro National League of 1920 through the Negro American League, which lasted until 1960. As one progresses through the exhibit, one moves forward 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 as Josh Gibson, the “Black Babe Ruth.”
By far the most impressive aspect of the museum, however, 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 80 home runs in one season. At first base is another Baseball Hall of Famer, Buck Leonard, a teammate of Gibson’s with the Homestead Grays. At second base is Ray Dandridge, Pop Lloyd monitors shortstop, while Judy Johnson holds down third base. In the outfield are Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston, and Leon 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 is Martín Dihigo, the only man to be inducted into the Halls of Fame in three countries: Mexico, Cuba, and the United States. Other statues commemorate Rube Foster, the founder of the Negro National League, and Buck O’Neil, a former Kansas City Monarch and a member of the board of the Museum until his October 6, 2006 death.
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
1616 East 18th Street, Kansas City, MI 64108
Phone: 816-221-1920
Official Website
Map & Driving Directions
