The History of Baseball in NC: Virtual Program

The History of Baseball in NC, featuring Chris Holaday is a virtual zoom program presented by the Burwell School Historic Site. Please visit the link to register for this free program. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-KnBvipwQPyTopqjb7E6Gg

Once upon a time, long before college basketball and football became so popular, baseball was king in North Carolina. Black or white, rich college student or poor mill worker, it was the sport everyone played. In addition to providing entertainment for well over 100 years, baseball has been very socially important to communities, particularly in the years before television. Later, in the 1950s and ’60s, it helped serve as an instrument of social change by racially integrating well before other aspects of Southern society, and African American players hold an important place in NC baseball history. In addition, the careers of numerous big-league stars began in the state. This program will give an overview of the rich history of baseball in North Carolina from the earliest years to the boom of the professional game in the 1930s and ’40s, the decline of the 1970s and a re-birth in the 1980s.

Chris Holaday is the author of several books on the subject of baseball in North Carolina including Professional Baseball in North Carolina and The Tobacco State League. He graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and has a Master’s degree in history from North Carolina Central University.