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” is will be on display at the North Berrien Historical Museum from June 17 through November 11, 2011. An opening reception is planned for Friday, June 24 from 5-8pm.
The exhibit discusses why after more than 150 years as ‘America’s pastime,’ baseball remains a predominately male sport, despite the fact that women have played the game since its invention in the mid-19th century.
The highlight of the exhibit is the story of renowned pitcher Maud Nelson who lived in Watervliet from 1905 to 1917. Maud was one of the most influential female baseball players in American history with a career spanning over forty years. In 1901 Maud Nelson married her manager John B Olson Jr. In 1905 the couple moved into a farm in Watervliet 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 starting in 1908. In 1910 Maud 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 story of Jackie Mitchell who played for the House of David, the All American Girls Baseball League (made famous by the movie a League of Their Own) that existed from 1943-1954, and Carolyn King of Ypsilanti, the first girl to play in Little League in 1973.
To compliment the exhibit there will be several speakers and programs planned during the summer and fall. On June 25 & 26 the City of Watervliet is hosting the first ever Maud Nelson Girls Baseball Invitational. This tournament will feature teenage girls from across the United States and Canada who will compete on all-female teams.
For more information call Executive Director, Alexander Gates at 269-468-3330 or visit www.northberrienhistory.org.
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