When I was a kid I remembered how the city was a buzz about the return of the Louisville Slugger, but more than that the building of not just a state of the art factory but of the museum as well.
Now, the bat never went far from its hometown just across the river to Jeffersonville, Indiana in fact, but still the general feeling was there was a since of history to the bat being right there in the heart of the Derby City.
And, in 1996 upon completion of the headquarters move to Louisville’s main street that history seemed to come full circle.
With it a sports landmark was born. A landmark that featured the world’s largest baseball bat, a legendary factory and a museum where all sorts of people would come to learn more about the Louisville Slugger- it’s history with athletes and the game itself, as well as the sport of baseball as a whole.
More than that, individuals can truly see history being made in the making of the famed product from the company. Knowing that these are the bats used by legends ranging from Babe Ruth to Albert Pujols and everybody in between for any sports history fan there is no question about the landmark that the building represents.
It represents the American dream beyond sports, the idea that a small company can become the most prolific sports equipment organization in the country. In that regard, it’s more than a sports landmark in the city, but an American landmark.
Today, the museum sees his share of people from all walks of life. Hosting exhibits that are outside pure baseball including Charles Shultz and Normal Rockwell themed art exhibits, however make no mistake about it the museum and the factory was built and continues to thrive through sports- making equipment for a number of athletic contests now a days, but let’s not forget The Louisville Slugger museum is the house that baseball built.
Outside Sources
Image courtesy of Louisville Slugger Museum
