The women who made up the teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) were pioneers in sports–yet played for the love of the game. They crisscrossed the Midwest making history in ball parks–yet just wanted to drive in the scoring run. They were immortalized in the film, A League of Their Own–yet still gather at annual reunions simply to see “old friends.” Their story is told in Polished in Public, Fierce on the Field, on view in the Lower Level Lobby at The History Museum.
With the entrance of the United States into World War II, Philip Wrigley was apprehensive that major league baseball would suffer due to the number of players being drafted into the armed services. In creating the women’s teams, he hoped that stadiums would remain full and public support of major league baseball would stay active.
And it worked. In the mid-sized towns of the Midwest, there was significant support for the 14 women’s teams that were part of the AAGPBL. The teams included the Rockford Peaches, South Bend Blue Sox, Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Milwaukee Chicks, Minneapolis Millerettes, Grand Rapids Chicks, Fort Wayne Daisies, Muskegon Lassies, Peoria Redwings, Chicago Colleens, Springfield Sallies, Battle Creek Belles and Kalamazoo Lassies.
The History Museum is a repository for the League’s artifacts, photographs and documents. The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League collection includes photographs, programs, film footage, scrapbooks and playing equipment used by the teams. Individuals and institutions from across the country turn to The History Museum for research and information on the AAGPBL.
South Bend was one of the four original cities to first field teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The South Bend Blue Sox remained a team for all 12 years of League action, one of only two teams to play for the entire duration. Virtually every single AAGPBL team member who ever pitched, caught, batted, or fielded on a team was in South Bend at one point during her career. Every player has a history, no matter how brief, of baseball play in this community. Even after League play ended, South Bend Blue Sox players have continued to live and work in the area.
For more information about the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, visit: www.aagpbl.org
Items in Collection:
Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame: 1998 AAGPBL Induction Memorabilia
AAGPBL plaques
AAGPBL players stat sheets
AAGPBL personal papers: records
AAGPBL Poster
AAGPBL League Contract; diamond layout; exhibition game; letters; magazines & phamplets
AAGPBL player development tour (program, roster, spring training schedules)
AAGPBL rulebooks
AAGPBL Baseball Cards
AAGPBL Books
AAGPBL Thesis
AAGPBL Newsletters
AAGPBL Videos of partial games and reunions
AAGPBL Record Book
AAGPBL Obituaries
Beauty and Health Book
Photos
A League of Their Own Materials:
Photo albums
Signed Script
Reproduction tickets, scorecards and programs
Most popular items of research:
Photos
Scrapbooks
Have a Question About the AAGPBL?
Fill out this short contact form and our Archivist will contact you very soon.
