National Baseball Hall of Fame
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Cooperstown, New York, was established in 1939 to honor the centennial of baseball's creation. The museum pays tribute to the sport as America's national pastime and serves as a shrine to its legends. Initially inspired by the myth that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, the Hall of Fame has become a significant cultural landmark. The site features a neo-Classical revival building and has undergone several expansions since its inception.
The Hall of Fame's creation was driven by Alexander Cleland, who sought to promote the development of a baseball shrine alongside Doubleday Field, effectively turning Cooperstown into a destination for baseball enthusiasts. The first inductees, including iconic figures like Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, were elected in 1936, marking the beginning of an enduring tradition. Today, the museum attracts around 350,000 visitors annually, making it one of the most prominent sports shrines globally and a cherished pilgrimage for baseball fans of all ages.
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National Baseball Hall of Fame
The Event The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was created to preserve the history of Major League Baseball
Date Opened to the public on June 12, 1939
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was established to showcase legends of baseball and to display baseball memorabilia.
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was inaugurated in 1939 to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of baseball’s invention in Cooperstown, New York. The myth that Abner Doubleday invented baseball in Cooperstown, New York, was perpetuated by Albert Goodwill Spalding, sporting goods magnate, in 1905.
To commemorate baseball as the national game of the United States, Alexander Cleland spearheaded the creation of a hall of fame and museum devoted to baseball. As a result of the Work Relief Program, a dilapidated baseball field named Doubleday Field was renovated in Cooperstown. Opened on September 6, 1920, to memorialize the site where baseball was originally played, the field reopened on August 3, 1934. In October, 1934, Cleland was appointed by the trustees of Cooperstown to promote the development of a baseball shrine next to Doubleday Field. Cooperstown officials realized the potential of making Cooperstown a tourist destination for baseball fans.
Cleland appealed to the governing bodies of the National and American Leagues to support the construction of a baseball shrine next to Doubleday Field. Officials of Major League Baseball supported the concept as a means to address the dwindling attendance that baseball was experiencing as a result of the Depression.
As part of the baseball shrine, Cleland persuaded the Baseball Writers Association of America to come up with names of baseball greats to induct into the hall of fame. In 1936, the first five players were elected: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, and Walter Johnson. By 1939, a total of twenty-five inductees had been selected.
Impact
The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum became one of the premier sport shrines in the world and a pilgrimage for multiple generations of baseball fans. Approximately 350,000 visitors enter the museum each year.
Bibliography
Chafets, Ze՚ev. Cooperstown Confidential: Heroes, Rogues, and the Inside Story of the Baseball Hall of Fame. New York: Bloomsbury, 2009.
Reisler, Jim. A Great Day in Cooperstown: The Improbable Birth of Baseball’s Hall of Fame. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2006.
Vlasich, James A. A Legend for the Legendary: The Origin of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1990.