The Negro League Baseball Museum

Disclaimer: I love baseball and I love museums. This museum however fell third in a three museum day. I approached the door of the two museums on 18th and Vine in Kansas City, MO. No camera, no backpacks, no cell phones. I completely understand that there are copyright problems and some times the easiest solution is to just not allow cameras. So...a walk back to the car and a trip back in (with my iPhone slipped in my pocket) and I was on my way. The museum opens with a quick film covering a basic history of the Negro Leagues and the eventual integration of baseball. Following that, the exhibit is laid out in a timeline fashion from the Emancipation Proclamation to the dissolving of the Negro Leagues. The information is clearly laid out and there is an interesting amount of ephemera to support the displays. One thing about the ephemera is that most of it was reproductions, but that's okay, if the real stuff is being kept safe somewhere. The exhibit covers those who helped break the color barrier and those extremely talented players who just were too old by the time the Major League became integrated. Obviously Jackie Robinson is a very important player in this picture, but I truly enjoyed that this wasn't the "Jackie Robinson Museum". Players that I have never heard of were covered more than him. There is a small hall of fame in the back and a very cool exhibit with baseballs signed by as many Negro League Alumni they could find. It's a decent place, but the one major problem I had was not in the content, but the structure. The exhibit is dim for effect and preservation, I'm sure. But I'm young with half way decent eyes and I was having a lot of trouble. I've got to be honest, in most museums I would take my phone out and flash the flashlight on it, but I didn't want to be so brazen with how I was breaking the rules of the museum. If you had to choose between the World War I Museum or this one I would say go to the World War I museum. One benefit to this place is that there is a jazz museum across the way that can be purchased with a combined ticket. So if you enjoy jazz and baseball, this little corner of Kansas City is for you.