The Museum of Bus Transportation Celebrates Black History Month

Decades before Jackie Robinson crossed the infamous color barrier in Major League Baseball, black baseball players were making names for themselves on the diamond in another way. African Americans had been playing the game of baseball since the mid to late 1800’s, forming teams after the Civil War days and traveling on their own around the country to play anybody that would challenge them.

It was not until 1920 and a meeting was held between owners of these independent teams that the Negro National League was formed. The first organized Negro league consisted of teams from the Midwest. With the organization of the league came more upstart leagues along the east cost, and in the south. The game of baseball was quickly spreading to communities in more urban and rural regions.

Visit the Museum during the month of February and see the types of vehicles used to transport the teams from one town to another and enjoy some baseball history along the way. Sometimes they rode all night on the bus to get to the next town for another game.  When stopping in places that were segregated—they often bought their food at the back door of the restaurant and ate on the bus. 

This display includes posters about the Negro Leagues along with memorabilia of the individual teams and vintage buses similar to those that the teams rode in. 

Mr. Willie Fordham, formely of the Harrisburg Giants of the Negro Leagues Baseball Team, will be on hand at the Museum with a table of his memorabilia most days during February.  This is a fantastic opportunity for the public to meet one of the actual players who was part of history.