Baseball Display Cases

Look for baseball display cases full of every kind of baseball memorabilia imaginable when you go to the traveling exhibit "Baseball In America." The exhibition was produced by the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown and includes everything from bats, jerseys and balls to contracts, cards and vintage products endorsed by players. But look closer at the baseball display cases and you'll also see that the exhibit lives up to its name, mirroring the country's development. Current events, race, class and social norms are all reflected in the well-currated exhibit.

The baseball display cases house over 500 items total. One trend that emerges is how Americans have turned to baseball in times of national distress. A remarkable lithograph from 1863 shows "Union Prisoners" playing a game in Salisbury, North Carolina. Another image portrays WWII soldiers in French Morocco. They've constructed a second Yankees Stadium.

Of course, Jackie Robinson's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers is duly honored. Less expected is an improvised home base from a WWII Japanese internment camp. Playing the national past time was both a protest and an assertion of the detainees' patriotism. The exhibit is full of new angles and surprises, and should be a must-see for any baseball enthusiast.