Beschreibung:

FILES OF ALEXANDER CLELAND In 1934 Alexander Cleland outlined in a memorandum his thoughts about a plan to create a permanent museum for baseball and to promote it with the help of the Baseball Writers Association. In October, 1934, the village of Cooperstown designated Cleland their representative to promote a national baseball shrine in their town. Mr Cleland then began his effort which culminated in the erection and dedication of the Hall of Fame in 1939. This lot contains Mr. Clelands personal files concerning the development of the Hall of Fame. There are hundreds of pieces of correspondence from and to players, officials, writers, historians, families, manufacturers, politicians and others tracing the planning and realization of Mr. Clelands dream. The documents include a carbon copy of the original memorandum outlining Clelands plan and the original resolution of the Village of Cooperstown appointing Cleland. There are three original letters from Ty Cobb referring to the honor of being voted ballplayer #1 and sending mementos. Cobb also corrects the information on his proposed plaque, including number of hits; three letters from Cy Young including one donating his 500th win ball; two original letters from Kenesaw M. Landis; four from Ford Frick, one discussing Cartwright as the real creator of baseball; Lajoie, Wagner, Speaker, Shibe, Reach, Griffith, Mrs. McGraw and Mrs. Mathewson. There are carbon copies of letters from Cleland to Cobb, Johnson, Lajoie, Landis, Speaker, Lazzeri, Young, Ruth and LaGuardia. The files contain the organizational minutes of the National Baseball Centennial Commision, many letters from Bruce Cartwright supporting his grandfathers rightful place as thew games founder; a letter from Joseph Blyurson donating the original catchers mitt he invented in 1888; a letter from William Earle, who caught for Al Spalding and taught baseball and managed the Almandares in Cuba in the nineteenth century. The files also contain correspondence dealing with land aquisition, planning, advertising, showcases, souvenirs, original pencil drawings for centennial designs by Spalding and Co.; the war record of Abner Doubleday signed by his grandson, and letters of donation and information of interest to Cleland. Also included are five personal scrapbooks of Cleland containing articles and columns about the proposed Hall of Fame, its development, the first four inductee voting results and the centennial celebration. Both the scrapbooks and the files contain many items which discuss the controversy about whether Doubleday or Cartwright invented the game. These documents present a unique history of the creation of the Hall of Fame and the principals involved. Also included is a book entitled A Legend for the Legendary, The Origin of the Hall of Fame by James Vlasick, which tells the story of the origin of the Hall of Fame and uses the documents in this lot as footnotes and sources.