Closing ceremony of baseball exhibit Thursday at Mission Historical Museum

The Mission Historical Museum Lecture Series will present the Leagues of Our Own closing ceremony with exhibit curator Manuel Hinojosa from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, at 900 Doherty Ave. in Mission.

Admission is free to the public. Treats and light refreshments will be served.

Baseball made its way to the Lower Rio Grande Valley in the 1800s, when soldiers stationed at forts Brown and Ringgold introduced the sport. Public games between local teams became a popular form of entertainment and helped unite the community in the absence of radios and televisions.

As the population of the Valley grew in the 1910s and 1920s, baseball’s popularity increased. With minimal equipment required, impromptu games among friends could be played in any open space. From the 1920s to the 1950s, baseball was at its peak in the Valley, with local teams represented in multiple professional minor leagues and various youth leagues also gaining popularity.

However, the advent of television in the 1950s and 1960s led to a shift in entertainment preferences, moving spectator sports to indoor settings. Despite this, baseball and softball remain popular in South Texas, with the early to mid-1900s considered the glory days of baseball.

The Mission Historical Museum is open 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every second Saturday of the month.

For more information on this program or any upcoming events, contact the museum office at (956) 580-8646, visit www.missionmuseum.org, or follow on Facebook.