HOUSTON – This is not just black history. It’s American history. A sports history.
I had the pleasure of visiting Houston Freedmen’s Town to see a powerful exhibition about Black baseball in our city.
It was my first visit to Houston Freedmen’s Town in historic Fourth Ward, where you can feel the baseball legacy and heritage seeping from the sports artifacts on display.
One lesson I learned from this exhibition is that Freedmen’s Town is also known as the Mother Ward—representing the area of the original Black experience.
Blackball: Baseball, BBQ & Blues exhibition
From the moment you step inside, you can tell the exhibition isn’t just about baseball. Blackball: Baseball, Barbeque and Blues showcases a story—real history—of the Negro League players, the culture and economic opportunity shaped by the game during the time of exclusion.
The Houston Freedmen Town Visitor Center consists of three historic, restored houses from the 1920s. Seba Suber, curator of Blackball, designed the inside of two houses with baseball memorabilia and historic photos—some were hard to locate—as if you’re immersed in the timeline of segregation and Jim Crow South.
The exhibition weaves you into the sport and the traditions that developed, from dressing up in your Sunday best for church to music and picnics celebrating Black joy despite the hardship.
In addition to showcasing the history through artifacts, Suber designed a few interactive exhibits for guests to enjoy while learning how the community navigated in the Jim Crow South.
One of the most impressive exhibits—in my opinion—was the baseball shirts, hung on a clothesline to illustrate the migration pattern from the Mother Ward to other Black communities, such as Third Ward and Independence Heights.
Freedmen Town’s baseball finests
As I roamed inside one of the houses, Suber showed me two rooms dedicated to Freedmen’s Town’s finest who made the sport meaningful in the community: Leroy Grant and Andrew Rube Foster.
Leory Grant was originally from Freedmen’s Town and played for the Chicago American Giants—a hometown hero.
Andrew Rube Foster was the father of Black baseball, with a vision to create an economically prosperous community centered around the sport.
Inspiration for the next generation
Grant and Foster’s past contributions continue to impact the world and today’s youth.
On Saturday, March 14, families can experience the baseball culture of the past at an upcoming event, NEXT GEN: Sandlot Sluggers. If you love sports and history, you don’t want to miss this event, especially when you can experience history from some of the greats who lived in the era of the Negro Leagues.
The Negro League stats integrated into Major League Baseball records
During segregations, the Negro League players’ performance was not included in Major League Baseball’s (MLB) official records. However, that exclusion does not erase history. As of May 2024—a century later from the founding of The Negro Leagues—MLB integrated the statistics of Black players into its official records.
Leroy Grant is one of the players whose records are officially part of MLB.
As Houston prepares to welcome fans for the World Baseball Classic and FIFA, Blackball reminds us that some of the most important stories were born right here at our home.
Learn more about the exhibition in the video above.
Where to see the exhibition
Blackball: Baseball, Barbeque and Blues
Feb. 19 - June 30
Houston Freedmen’s Town Visitor Center
1204 Victor St, Houston, TX 77019
Exhibition is free and open to the public
Closed Sundays and Mondays
Open Tuesday - Saturdays
For hours, visit houstonfreedmenstown.org/visit-us
For more information about the exhibition, visit houstonfreedmenstown.org/baseball