Discover Delmarva: Eastern Shore Baseball Hall Of Fame
SALISBURY, Md- Play Ball! Is one of the many things you’ll hear as baseball kicks off here on Delmarva. An area with a rich history rooted in America’s Pastime. The Eastern Shore Baseball Hall of Fame at Arthur Purdue Stadium houses the history of baseball here on the shore. We met up with Charlie Silcott, the Museum Curator, who gave us a tour. “What we are is a museum of Eastern Shore Baseball. We go from the canal at Bear Delaware to the Bay Bridge Tunnel down south. And from the Bay Bridge to the Ocean.”
Silcott tells us that the baseball leagues that formed on the shore. Did so to entertain residents and give them a sense of pride in their community. “You’ve got to remember, back then, there wasn’t much to do here on the Eastern Shore. Ocean City, Rehoboth weren’t that popular back then.”
This stiff competition drove the playing level up here on the shore. Silcott says the most impressive part? Is playing in THOSE wool uniforms! “Old wool uniforms, I can’t imagine playing in a baseball game- especially a pitcher or a catcher in 100-degree weather, you can imagine what that uniform had to weigh at the end of the game.”
The museum has a variety of old uniforms on display that were often rescued from heading straight for the landfill! These uniforms made from wool would not be my first choice when heading outside for a hot and muggy summer day on Delmarva. We also got to see cool, one-of-a-kind items from local legends on the shore. The museum proudly displays, “Of course, you’re talking about Jimmie Fox, Judy Johnson, and Home Run Baker; there were so many back then. And then today, you got Delino Deshields, Harold Baines, and these guys that came up later.”
The importance of these players on the shore is on full display with a major focus on the legendary career of Ryan Minor. My personal favorite? Had to be the collection of baseball cards showcasing the local players who made their mark in the major leagues and some who even reached Cooperstown. The centerpiece of the museum is Dressing Room 1 from Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. If that stall could talk, the stories it would tell from the former players of the Orioles and the Colts would truly be enlightening.
Along the outskirts of the museum, we got to see how this rich history in the game led to a farm league directly to the majors. “We actually got the Eastern Shore League, which was a professional league. It was a D league, which is comparable to what the Shore Birds are today.”
Whether it’s new playmakers or the legends of the past, the history within this museum will only continue to grow along with the shore itself.
Now the museum is open for every Delmarva Shorebirds home game one hour before game time. But, they also offer special tours of the museum for 10 people or more by appointment.
The best part? Admission is free!
For more information about the museum and for their hours, you can check out their website.
