By Seneca Sumners
The Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum’s (SSAAM) latest exhibit “All Stars – Black Baseball in New Jersey and Beyond” is now officially open to the public and is a great spot to check out if you’re in the New Jersey area.
This special installation features rare, personal letters from Negro Leagues player Paul “Beetle” Arnold, along with an oral history video that brings his legacy – and the powerful stories of local African American baseball players – to life.
The museum is located in the historic Mt. Zion AME Church at 189 Hollow Road in Skillman, New Jersey. The Black Baseball Exhibit will be displayed for about a year, although it may move locations in its duration, including a run at the Minor League Baseball Somerset Patriots’ stadium, TD Bank Park Ballpark.
The curator, Dr. Isabela Morales, explains that the origins of the exhibit are the personal letters to and from local star player Paul “Beetle” Arnold, from his time playing with the Negro Leagues. Discovered when a local realtor was cleaning out an old home, the letters were eventually shared with SSAAM. With the enthusiastic support of the entire SSAAM team, Dr. Morales took a deep dive into the “baseball parts” of this African American enclave in the Sourland mountain region of Central New Jersey.
Centering the voice of the community, oral history plays a major part in the exhibit via a short documentary film. Created by Dr. Morales, it features interviews with descendents of prominent Black players and others whose families have ties to the local baseball history and the love of baseball in the area. It’s amazing how the exhibit showcases older generations going from playing backyard baseball, to pickup games, and all the way to being some of the great ballplayers of their time. The exhibit may be small but it offers a strong depiction of the struggles, celebrations and pride of a community – a reality that was probably true in Black communities across the country. Visiting will allow you to see some cool stories with great pictures and to learn about some of the best players you haven’t heard of.
The exhibit highlights both well-known and lesser-known chapters of Black baseball history. It pays tribute to the groundbreaking Trenton Cuban Giants, the first professional Black baseball team in the United States, and the first to beat a white Major League team, as well as other pioneering clubs that paved the way for generations of players.
The local legends get their moment in the spotlight, including the Pennington All-Stars. This Central New Jersey team formed after World War I and players quickly built a name for themselves, winning games so decisively they sometimes found opponents unwilling to face them. Decades later, their legacy was revived in the form of the Pennington Black All-Stars, whose players were largely the sons and younger relatives of the original team and continued to inspire pride in their community well into the 1940s.
The SSAAM Black Baseball in New Jersey exhibit is made possible, in part, by a strong and evolving partnership with the Somerset Patriots, the New York Yankees double A affiliate based just a half hour away in Somerset, NJ. Hopefully in the near future we see more projects like this come to life.
The Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum is dedicated to preserving, celebrating, and sharing the history and culture of African Americans in the Sourland Mountain region of New Jersey. You can learn more about its formation and mission at www.ssaamuseum.org.
