Negro Leagues Baseball Museum
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| Established | 1990 |
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| Location | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Coordinates | 39°05′29″N 94°33′46″W / 39.0914°N 94.5627°WCoordinates: 39°05′29″N 94°33′46″W / 39.0914°N 94.5627°W |
| Type | Professional sports |
| Website | http://www.nlbm.com |
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was founded in 1990 in Kansas City, Missouri. It is a privately funded museum dedicated to preserving the history of Negro league baseball in America. The museum is part of the historic 18th & Vine district, which also includes the American Jazz Museum.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was founded in 1990 by a group of former Negro league baseball players, including Kansas City Monarchs outfielder, Alfred Surratt,Buck O'Neil, and Horace Peterson. It moved from a 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.
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. 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.
On March 20, 2013 a special screening of the movie 42 was held in Kansas City on April 11, 2013, a day before its nationwide release, as a benefit for the Negro Leagues museum. Actor Harrison Ford, one of the stars of the film, participated in the fundraiser.42 is a biographical film about the life of baseball player Jackie Robinson, who played for the Kansas City Monarchs prior to breaking baseball's color barrier.
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."
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