
Active from 1920 to the early 1960s, the Negro Southern League was the organizational body for southern African American baseball teams and served as a route for many players to enter the larger Negro American League and Negro National League. The cities of Birmingham and Montgomery, Montgomery County, fielded two of NSLM's initial teams, the Birmingham Black Barons and the Montgomery Grey Sox, respectively. Alabama baseball greats such as Willie Mays, Leroy "Satchel" Paige, and George "Mule" Suttles played in the league, with Mays and Paige going on to careers in Major League Baseball and enshrinement in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Given Alabama's importance to southern black baseball, noted baseball researcher Layton Revel envisioned a museum in Birmingham to showcase the history of African American baseball. Revel, a physician by profession, had previously founded the Center for Negro Baseball League Research in Carrollton, Texas, in 1995 with the intention of documenting Negro League players and collecting original Negro League artifacts. Construction on the more than 15,000 square-foot NSLM facility began in June 2014. The two-story building opened on August 28, 2015, and was funded with $3.6 million in city funds.


The NSLM is also a research center devoted to preserving African American baseball history. In addition to Revel, the research center and museum are supported by the expertise of University of Alabama at Birmingham professor Larry Powell, who authored The Black Barons of Birmingham (2009), and freelance writer William Plott who authored The Negro Southern League: A Baseball History, 1920-1951 (2015). With this research team, the NSLM hopes to promote more discussion about baseball history and provide a resource to other researchers interested in entering the field.
Besides its use as a museum, the NSLM is available to rent for events. Its showroom in the exhibit space allows guests to host events surrounded by museum displays. The Left-Field Promenade is a private outdoor area beside Regions Park and overlooking Railroad Park. The museum also allows professional photo-shoots, television commercials, and filmmakers to use its property as a backdrop. The facility features a restaurant and has a gift shop.
Additional Resources
Fullerton, Christopher D. Every Other Sunday: The Story of the Birmingham Black Barons. Birmingham, Ala.: R. Boozer Press, 1999.
Additional Resources
Fullerton, Christopher D. Every Other Sunday: The Story of the Birmingham Black Barons. Birmingham, Ala.: R. Boozer Press, 1999.
Holway, John. The Complete Book of Baseball's Negro Leagues: The Other Half of Baseball History. Fern Park, Ill.: Hastings, 2001.
Plott, William J. The Negro Southern League: A Baseball History, 1920-1951. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Incorporated, 2015.
Powell, Larry. Black Barons of Birmingham: The South's Greatest Negro League Team and Its Players. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Incorporated, 2009.