The Girl in Centerfield to be screened at the Loma Theatre

On Tuesday, August 16 at 7pm the North Berrien Historical Museum will be screening the recent documentary, The Girl in Centerfield, at the Loma Theatre in downtown Coloma. The Girl in Centerfield, a feature-length true story produced by Detroit-based Stunt3 Multimedia, is the story of Carolyn King’s fight to play Little League baseball. Using interviews, stock footage, and re-creation, Stunt3 has weaved together the drama of the summer of 1973 when the nation watched as the city of Ypsilanti went head-to-head with Williamsport, Pennsylvania and the institution of Little League Baseball. Producer Brian Krueger will be on hand after the movie for a question and answer session.

In May of 1973, 12-year-old Carolyn King was simply looking to play baseball when she tried out for a spot in the Ypsilanti American Little League. She went to the tryouts with her younger brother, and impressed the coaches with her strong throwing arm and her speed. The coach of the Orioles was looking for a center fielder, and he thought that Carolyn might fit the bill, so he drafted her.

One problem: In 1951, the National Little League organization in Williamsport, Pa., had enacted a rule that specifically said girls were not eligible to play. National officials felt the sport of baseball was too dangerous for girls, so they decided to restrict their leagues to boys. That set up a summer of controversy and showdowns in Ypsilanti that made national headlines in 1973, and landed the story on the evening news.

The National Little League threatened to pull the local league’s charter if Carolyn played, but the City of Ypsilanti said that if she didn’t play, the league couldn’t use the city’s fields. When she suited up for the Orioles in their first game – making history in the process – the National Little League followed through on its threat to pull the local league’s charter.

With this small Michigan town strongly divided over Carolyn’s participation, the case headed to federal court. In the middle of it all was a 12-year-old in pigtails who simply wanted to play baseball. Carolyn’s case and the national uproar it caused prompted National Little League officials to drop their boys-only rule. In 1974, thanks to Carolyn King, girls became eligible to play Little League baseball.

The documentary compliments the exhibit “Women in Baseball: Bloomer Girls of Berrien County and Beyond” currently on view at the North Berrien Historical Museum. 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.

Admission to Women in Baseball and all programs is free of charge.

For more information call Executive Director Alexander Gates at 269-468-3330 or visit www.northberrienhistory.org.

Preview the movie at www.TheGirlinCenterfield.com

Maud Nelson Festival June 24-26, 2011

(Image courtesy of the Tri-City Record)

The first ever Maud Nelson Festival and Girls Baseball Tournamnent will take place on June 24-26. Events will take place at Library Park and Hay's Park in Watervliet and at the North Berrien Historical Museum in Coloma. Women in Baseball: Bloomer Girls of Berrien County & Beyond is now on display at the museum. An opening reception will take place on Friday, June 24 from 5-8pm.

“Women in Baseball” to feature history of Watervliet’s Maud Nelson

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. 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. Although American society in general may have looked at women's involvement in baseball as a curiosity, the exhibit brings to life the images of women who loved the crack of the bat and the thrill of a running one-handed catch with two outs in the ninth, according to guest curator John Kovach of St. Mary’s College.

“Women in Baseball” features nearly 200 objects ranging from picture postcards, game programs, photographs, baseballs, jerseys, and a uniform from the 1993 movie A League of Their Own. Exhibit visitors will get to know Jackie Mitchell, who played for the House of David and struck out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in an exhibition game in 1931, and Sophie Kurys, of the South Bend Blue Sox, who still holds the record for the most stolen bases in one season in any league -- 201 steals in 203 attempts in 1946.

The local highlight is the story of renowned pitcher Maud Nelson who lived in Watervliet from 1904 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 was playing for the Chicago Star Bloomers when she married her team manager John B. Olson Jr. In 1904 the couple moved into a farm in Watervliet on what is now the Paw Paw Lake Golf Course. At the time John Olson 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 Nelson became owner-manager of the Western Bloomer Girls who traveled the country competing against male teams in front of huge crowds.

To compliment the exhibit there will be several speakers and programs during the summer and fall. Guest curator John Kovach will speak at the museum on the history of girls and women in baseball on Tuesday, June 21 at 7pm. The House of David Echoes will play a Vintage Baseball Game behind Coloma Elementary School on July 22 at 6pm. On August 16 at 7pm, the Loma Theatre will screen the documentary The Girl in Centerfield, which tells the story of Carolyn King of Ypsilanti, who in 1973 was the first girl to play in Little League. Finally on September 20 at the museum a panel of former All-American Girls Baseball League players will discuss their experiences playing ball for teams in Grand Rapids, Muskegon, and Kalamazoo during the 1940s and 1950s. Admission to the exhibit Women in Baseball and all programs is free of charge.

For more information call Executive Director Alexander Gates at 269-468-3330 or visit www.northberrienhistory.org.

You're Invited: Women in Baseball Season Opener

Exhibit to feature history of Maud Nelson and the Western Bloomer Girls

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.

11 exciting things at the museum in 2011

1 Annual Dinner this fall –yum!
2 Exciting Cemetery Tours in October
3 Traveling exhibition kiosks on the Western Bloomer Girls
4 Days of Holiday Open House (December 1-4, 2011)
5 Time Travelers programs this summer
6 types of ice cream to choose from at our Cone Barn during Coloma Glad Peach Festival (August 4-7)
7 Applications received so far for our youth intern program, which begins in January
8 Weeks of A Few Good Women: Women in the Military During World War II (April 1 – May 27, 2011)
9 players on every baseball team playing in the Maud Nelson Invitational Baseball Tournament (June 25 & 26, 2010).
10 more convenient parking spots in front of the museum this year.
11 monthly speakers (every third Tuesday at 7pm from January through November)

Images from Case 16

Since the museum opened to the public in 1992 our sports collection has remained very popular with visitors. In order to preserve these delicate objects the case is being refinished to remove old cork and adhesives, which give off harmful gases. While the images have been removed the cases they are being scanned and catalogued so that we can better share our local sports history. Below are a few images that have been on display for many years, yet deserve a closer look.


Little is known about the "Apollos" which appear to be a 1902 Coloma Football team - pre-dating Coloma High School having enough male students to have large team sports. Note the unusual nose guards the players are wearing around their necks. These strapped around your head and the player would bite down to keep it in place. The only player identified is Felix Sawatski, who is in the second row, second from the left.


Here we have Richard Greenberg, a member of the 1928 US Olympic Water Polo team who was a summer resident of Paw Paw Lake.


In the center of this image we have H.O. "Pat" Page, a life time resident of Paw Paw Lake. Pat Page was elected to the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1963 for his skill playing for the University of Chicago. He went on to be head coach of the Indiana University Football Team, and pitched batting practice for the Chicago Cubs and White Sox during the summer. Quite the accomplished athelete!