Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum: Baseball and History
Baltimore holds dear to two things, among others: baseball and history. With that, no other museum can be more fitting than the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum, situated a stone's throw (or home run) from the Baltimore Orioles Park at Camden Yards, preserving and commemorating the former home and birthplace of one of baseball's greatest legends. The Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum is located inside the first home of Babe Ruth on Emory Street.
It was there in 1895 that the Babe was born, and his sister as well. At the time, Orioles Park did not exist nearby. It was a typical Baltimore rowhouse, smaller in size, and the neighborhood itself was run-down and poor. Rumor has it his father bartended at a shop that was situated in today's ball field. Eventually, Babe Ruth would sign his first contract to play professional baseball with the Orioles.
In 1974, the home was saved from demolition as it had fallen to disrepair through the decades. A non-profit organization was founded to help run the museum, which was restored to the days when Babe Ruth lived there. His wife, daughters and his sister aided in the restoration.
Today, visitors can walk through the small townhouse where Babe Ruth was born and grew up, view personal items, furnishings, documents (including a copy of his birth certificate), news clippings, toys and photos. The bedroom in which he was born has been fully restored.
Other exhibits in the museum include a retrospective of Babe Ruth as a family man and friend, a display dedicated to his 500 home runs, and a look at his career, successes and records. Another exhibit shows the Babe depicted in films and television by other actors. Other artifacts include his old jersey, baseball mitt and other equipment he used while playing as a child and a student in Baltimore.
HelloBaltimore Tip: A larger museum nearby, the Sports Legends Museum, houses all related baseball and other sports memorabilia and artifacts that the little birthplace museum could not. For a complete afternoon of history in sports, visit both museums together.
Posted on Mar 14, 2011 by Rin-rin Yu
