A new exhibit at the North Berrien Historical Museum will highlight the history of women’s baseball from its origins to the present day. “Women in Baseball: Bloomer Girls of Berrien County and Beyond” will be on display at the North Berrien Historical Museum from June 17 through November 11, 2011.
The highlight of the exhibit is the story of renowned pitcher Maud Nelson who lived in Watervliet Township from 1905 to 1917. Nelson was one of the most influential female baseball players in American history with a career spanning forty years. In 1905 Maud Nelson married John Olson and the couple moved to Watervliet where they lived on a farm on what is now the Paw Paw Lake Golf Course. Nelson managed the Cherokee Indian Baseball Team which traveled around the country in a custom Pullman railcar. Newspapers reported that Miss Maud Nelson, the famous lady pitcher, pitched two or three innings for the Indian team. In 1911 Nelson became owner-manager of the Western Bloomer Girls who traveled the country competing against male teams in front of huge crowds.
In addition to the story of Maud Nelson the exhibit will tell the story of women in baseball from the origins of the game through the present day. This includes the All American Girls Baseball League (made famous by the movie a League of Their Own) that existed from 1943-1954.
For more information call Director/Curator Alexander Gates at 269-468-3330 or visit www.northberrienhistory.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment