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Our Museum in Action

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a nonprofit organization that depends on the support and generosity of baseball fans to fulfill our mission to preserve history, honor excellence and connect generations. For over 80 years, our Collections and Archives have grown to more than 40,000 Museum artifacts and three million Library items that are in need of continual care. Your support is critical to the care of these one-of-a-kind treasures and helps ensure a world-class museum experience for generations to come.

Photographs

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DIGITALLY PRESERVE HISTORIC PHOTOS

The Dean O. Cochran Jr. Photograph Archives at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum contains photographs of every aspect of the game of baseball. Our collections depicts the broad diversity of people on the field, the places they played, and the action of the game. The 300,000 photographs housed in the Photo Archives document more than 150 years of baseball history; they are a visual record of the game’s place in American culture. We need your help to continue our work to digitally preserve the Museum's photo collection. Once digitized, many of the photos will be added to the our digital collection at collection.baseballhall.org

DOUG MCWILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION

Doug McWilliams spent nearly a quarter of a century photographing players for Topps baseball cards. In 2010, McWilliams traveled to Cooperstown to personally donate more than 10,000 negatives to the Hall of Fame’s Photo Archive. Mostly color shots, those negatives span the years that McWilliams worked for Topps, bringing to the Hall of Fame much of the game’s iconic photography from the 1970s, '80s, and '90s.

As we continue our work to digitally preserve our Photos Archives, the Doug McWilliams Photograph Collection is our next major initiative. This collection needs to be reorganized, rehoused and conserved. As each image is rehoused, we will digitize it, which will reduce handling of the original, ensuring that it is preserved for years to come. Additionally, digital preservation of the images will make this collection more accessible to fans at our website and will streamline access for our staff for exhibits and other projects. Please consider making a gift today toward the Doug McWilliams Photograph Collection project to ensure these historic images are preserved for generations of fans to enjoy.

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Henry Aaron played the final two seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1975 and 1976. (Doug McWilliams/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)

WHAT WE'VE DONE TOGETHER

 

HALL OF FAMER PHOTO COLLECTION

Thanks to a number of generous donors, photographs of all 340 Hall of Famers - all inductees from the Classes of 1936 to 2022 - have been funded in full and will be digitally preserved.

Projects Funded

NEGRO LEAGUES PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION

As we continue our work to digitize the Museum’s photo collection, the balance of our Negro Leagues Photograph Collection will be preserved. The majority of the collection documents the pictorial history of baseball's Negro Leagues before the integration of American and National Leagues. The materials date from 1880 to 1991 with the bulk of the materials dating from 1923 to 1948. The collection consists of negatives, prints and oversized materials featuring action, team, group, and individual player photographs – including a large collection of materials centered on the Homestead Grays. Thanks to the support of fans like you, this collection of more than 850 photos will be reorganized, rehoused and conserved – ensuring these historic images are preserved for generations of fans to enjoy.

Project Overview

This historic photo of Elston Howard is one of the more than 850 photos that will be digitally preserved with your support towards the Negro Leagues Photograph Collection project. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)

LOOK MAGAZINE PHOTO COLLECTION

In addition to our collection of Hall of Famer images, one of the Museum's "hidden collections" will be digitally preserved. Our Look Magazine Collection was first donated to the Museum in 1954 and has grown with additional donations received through the years. In all, the collection contains 4,108 total images in a variety of formats and sizes – the majority of which are negatives. This nearly unmined collection will be reorganized, rehoused and conserved. As each image is rehoused we will digitize it, which will reduce handling of the original, preventing additional damage and ensuring that it is preserved for years to come. Thanks to the support of fans like you, our team is excited to begin work on this project and to unlock the historic images within this important collection.

Project Overview

Gil Hodges' peak as a power hitter came on Aug. 31, 1950, when he became just the second modern-era National League player to hit four home runs in one game. (Look Magazine/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)

Exhibits

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EXHIBIT PROJECTS IN NEED OF SUPPORT

The following exhibit related projects will help care for our collection on display within the Museum. With your support, the stories from baseball history will continue to be preserved and cared for while enhancing the visitor experience.

    Artifacts

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    ARTIFACTS IN NEED OF CARE AND CONSERVATION

    Here are a few artifacts from our collection that are in need of care. With your support, each of these priceless treasures can be preserved to help fans relive the moments and memories from baseball's past for future generations to come.

            WHAT WE'VE DONE TOGETHER

            Thanks to the support of fans like you, these conservation projects have been funded.

            Library Documents

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            DIGITALLY PRESERVE ITEMS FROM OUR LIBRARY ARCHIVE

            The Library archive is substantial, containing more than three million Library items, including collections of original contracts, scouting reports, team publications, scrapbooks and much more. Learn more about our Research Center here.

              WHAT WE'VE DONE TOGETHER

              Thanks to the support of fans like you, these digital preservation library projects have been funded.

                  Baseball Cards

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                  BASEBALL CARD COLLECTION CARE PROJECT

                  Through our Baseball Card Collection Care Project we will catalog and rehouse our entire baseball card collection. To do this, we need to secure funds to purchase new archival-quality materials that meet the highest standard in Museum collection care. Make a gift today toward the new project to ensure these cardboard gems are preserved for generations of fans to enjoy.

                  Project Overview

                  A collage of Donruss Diamond Kings cards featuring a "line-up" of Hall of Famers. (Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)

                  A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.

                  Jackie Robinson, Hall of Fame Class of 1962

                  We hope that you will consider a gift to help support any of these important projects. Every gift is important and we are grateful for your support to help ensure these artifacts, photographs and library items are preserved for fans to enjoy for generations to come. For more information - or to make a donation by phone of any amount toward one of these projects - please contact our Development Team at 607.547.0385. If you prefer to make a general contribution to support our mission to Preserve History, Honor Excellence and Connect Generations, you can do so at the link below.

                  DONATE