The St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum will open its new special exhibit entitled “Women in Baseball: How They Made History” on Friday, November 18. The exhibit, which replaces last year’s special exhibition “Farming the Business of Cardinals Baseball”, examines women’s involvement and contributions to St. Louis baseball and the game at large.
“The artifacts we have gathered for this special exhibit are some of the most unique and oldest items from our own collection, but also include important artifacts and images on loan from the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Missouri Historical Society and various individuals,” said Paula Homan, Cardinals Museum Curator. “It really enables us to tell the stories of the barrier-breaking women who have influenced this organization, and all of baseball, in a fitting way.”
“Women in Baseball” features over 100 artifacts which tell stories about Major League Baseball’s first female owner, the origins of the iconic birds on the bat logo, local women from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and more. Exhibit highlights include a “Ladies’ Gala Day” giveaway from 1885, the oldest stadium giveaway in the Cardinals Museum collection; Allie May Schmidt’s original hand-painted cardinal birds, which were the inspiration behind the club’s logo; the ladies’ day entrance sign from 1950 used to welcome patrons of Ladies’ Day through a dedicated gate at Sportsman’s Park; and a hands-on interactive that shows the changing circumference of the baseballs used by the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League players from 1943-1954.
Additionally, Cardinals Nation Restaurant & Bar will host “Ladies Night at Cardinals Nation” to celebrate the opening of the new exhibit from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on November 18. Open to all fans, the event will feature free after-hours museum admission, food and drink specials, a live DJ and appearances by Homan and MLB.com Cardinals beat writer, Jenifer Langosch.
The Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. during the offseason. The special exhibit is open to the public through the conclusion of the 2017 baseball season and is included with admission to the museum. To purchase Cardinals Museum tickets or learn more about museum membership, visit cardinals.com/museum.
