The Louisville Slugger Museum is a museum and factory where Louisville Slugger baseball bats are created and baseball’s history is preserved. Visitors can tour the museum and watch as Louisville Slugger baseball bats are made. The Louisville Slugger Museum is easy to locate – it is marked by the World’s Largest Baseball Bat that leans against the side of the building.The preferred bat of legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ted Williams, the Louisville Slugger is undeniably the most famous lumber stick in baseball. And to learn about its production, history and about baseball in general, you come to Louisville. The city’s West Main District plays host to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory.
The museum portion was a bit small which was a little bit of a let down. I wish they had more items there, it was very neat to see the history. My favorite part of the visit was the tour. They start by showing how the bats were originally made manually. Then we saw the machines taking over. They told us a bit of history on the use of machines, and then we got to see two different machines. The first one was used for all commercial use sold in sporting goods stores and similar places. They use a special machine for atheletes. We got to touch bats that are actually used by current Major League Baseball players. We got to feel the differences in weight that different players use. It was really cool to know that I was holding a bat used by a professional athelete! We got to see how the logo is applied (well burned into the bat). After that they cut the tab ends they let the kids take one. Of course my son takes two but he gives one to me! Then they show how the bats are dipped for coloring them. It was very informative and i think my little guy had a blast.
Louisville Slugger Museum Hours
Tours of the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory begin at 9 a.m. Monday through Saturday and Noon on Sundays with the last tour departing one hour before the museum closes, generally around 4 p.m. Tours of the factory last approximately 30 minutes. If you want to watch bats being made, visit the Louisville Slugger Museum on a weekday – there is no bat production on weekends. Check the Louisville Slugger Museum website for its holiday schedule.
Significance
After the Hillerich’s factory caught fire in 1910 and was rebuilt, Frank W. Bradsby joined the company, and the firm’s name changed to Hillerich & Bradsby Co., according to the University of Maryland. The Louisville Slugger bats continued to grow in popularity, forcing Bud to employ “tree scouts” to find timber supplies to make them. Amateur baseball players wanted to own the same bat as their favorite professional players, according to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. By 1915, Hillerich & Bradsby Co. began making youth-size Louisville Slugger bats, and was manufacturing 1 million bats a year by 1923. To keep up with the booming demand for the baseball bats, Hillerich & Bradsby acquired a lumber company in 1954 to establish an in-house timber division. Louisville Slugger Museum is a Adventures Place For Vacations.
Development
The woodworking shop belonged to Bud’s brother, Fred Hillerich, who wasn’t interested in making baseball bats, despite the success of the bat made for Browning, according to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. Nevertheless, Bud continued to make baseball bats, and even invented a lathe device with an automatic sander. The baseball bat business took off, and the Hillerich family trademarked the name Louisville Slugger in 1894. The small woodworking shop grew into a company, named J.F. Hillerich and Son when Bud partnered with his father, Michael Hillerich, in 1897. Many baseball players sought Louisville Slugger bats, which Bud engraved with the player’s signature, the University of Maryland notes. Baseball player Honus “The Flying Dutchman” Wagner was the first to authorize Bud to sell his signature-engraved bats in stores.
Modern Day
Today, Hillerich & Bradsby Co. still makes Louisville Slugger baseball bats, but it also makes aluminum bats, ice hockey sticks, golf clubs and a wide variety of other sports equipment, according to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory USA Travel Places. The company even makes bionic gloves for gardening, hockey, golf, baseball and other uses. The Louisville Slugger celebrated its 125-year anniversary in 2009.
