America’s love affair with baseball has always been based on more than peanuts and Cracker Jack. While there’s a certain thrill in watching a home run, baseball has also played a role in helping many Americans define themselves.
The sport has been intricately woven into our social history, and it continues to intrigue historians, academics and enthusiasts alike.
Aimee Ergas, an archivist at WSU’s Walter P. Reuther Library – Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs and research director for the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan, is one such fan.
“It’s more than a summer pastime — it’s a community builder,” Ergas said. “It’s been a catalyst for personal identities, ethnic identities and for learning American values.”
Ergas curated the local portion of “Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American” at the Detroit Historical Museum. “Chasing Dreams” is a national traveling exhibit that celebrates the history of baseball and the unique way the sport has helped shape communities and identities. The exhibit features historic photographs and memorabilia, including baseball cards, signed balls, vintage uniforms, bats and more from national and local archives, as well as personal collections.
“Baseball is one of the earliest organized sports that didn’t require a lot of organization, equipment or space, so it was especially accessible in communities within urban areas like Detroit,” Ergas said. “The general themes and ideas of the national exhibit were focused to Detroit and Michigan, and we’re really proud that so many local groups are represented.”
The exhibit’s Detroit stop features artifacts from local collections and highlights the experiences of the city’s Jewish, early European, African American and Latino communities, among others, and women’s baseball in the mid-20th century as well.
Ergas first saw “Chasing Dreams” at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. Once it was announced the exhibit would be transformed to travel across the nation, she worked to bring it to Detroit. Ergas and the Jewish Historical Society of Michigan collaborated with her colleagues at the Reuther Library as well as the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, the Ilitch Holdings Archives and others to give the exhibit a unique, Detroit flair.
“A lot of the artifacts and narratives are very personal. I think the flow of the history will intrigue anyone – whether you’re a baseball fan, a history buff, or a lover of the city of Detroit,” Ergas said. “Baseball has always been an interest of mine, but understanding the depth of its social history has given me a deeper love and appreciation for the sport.”
“Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American” will be on display until Nov. 27 and is free and open to the public during regular museum hours. The museum is located in Midtown at 5401 Woodward Avenue, with an entrance on Kirby just east of Cass Avenue.