Baseball, The Berkshires and the Babe

The history of baseball in the Berkshires is fascinating! There are 40 major league players born, raised or settled in Berkshire County and two of those are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Over 220 minor leaguers were born, raised or settled here. We have had 60 of a minor league team calling the Berkshires home. There are over 100 non-player professional baseball personnel (scouts, umpires, etc.) from Berkshire County. What a rich history! This exhibit will tell some of this history and the stories that go along with putting an emphasis on the greater Great Barrington area. Yes – the first mention of baseball in a government document was in Pittsfield in 1791 but between 1858 and 1880 had over 275 town teams and Great Barrington nine. The greater Barrington area adds another 30. Baseball was alive throughout Berkshire County and Great Barrington was no exception. But wait – the Babe (Ruth) was here along with Lou (Gehrig/Lewis?) and the Say Hey kid – Willie (Mays) their stories will be told as well.