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| Established | June 10, 1995 |
|---|---|
| Location | 310 Mill Street, Van Meter, Iowa, 50261 |
| Director | Brandon Sawalich |
| Website | bobfellermuseum |
The Bob Feller Museum was a baseball museum located in Van Meter, Iowa. The Bob Feller Museum was founded in 1997 and to honor Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller of the Cleveland Indians. The Bob Feller Museum was located in Feller's home town. The building now serves as the City Hall in Van Meter, Iowa.
The museum concept advanced in 1990, when a committee was formed in Bob Feller's home town of Van Meter, Iowa for the purpose of establishing a museum honoring Feller. [1]
Several fundraising projects followed. During the process, Feller served as Grand Marshall of a local Fireman's Kids Day and was interviewed by journalist Charles Kuralt with the interview airing on the CBS show, Sunday Morning. In 1993, Ted Williams came to Iowa for an Iowa Cubs game in Des Moines, Iowa and a fundraising dinner was held in conjunction with his visit. [1] [2]
After successful fundraising efforts, the Bob Feller Museum opened in Van Meter, Iowa, on June 10, 1995 with a crowd of 800 in attendance. The museum was designed by Feller's son Stephen, an architect. The museum property was donated for the project by Brenton Banks. [3]
The museum contained Feller memorabilia and items from his own collection. The Feller bat used by Babe Ruth when he made his last public appearance at Yankee Stadium was at the museum. Feller said a teammate had stolen the bat and eventually it was purchased by the Upper Deck sports card company for $107,000. Feller later offered the company $95,000 in return for the bat. [4]
Following Feller's death in 2010, the museum faced funding issues. In 2015, with family approval, the Bob Feller Museum was donated to the city of Van Meter for use as the city hall. Some artifacts remain on permanent exhibit without charge. Other artifacts were moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where the Cleveland Guardians have the items on display within Progressive Field. [2] [5]
"He truly was the engine that made that place run and with his passing, the museum struggled," explained museum board member Bob DiBiasio, who also served senior vice president of public affairs for the Cleveland Indians. [5]
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since 1994, the team has played its home games at Progressive Field. Since their establishment as a Major League franchise in 1901, the team has won 11 Central Division titles, six American League pennants, and two World Series championships. The team's World Series championship drought since 1948 is the longest active among all 30 current Major League teams. The team's name references the Guardians of Traffic, eight monolithic 1932 Art Deco sculptures by Henry Hering on the city's Hope Memorial Bridge, which is adjacent to Progressive Field. The team's mascot is named "Slider". The team's spring training facility is at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona.
Van Meter is a city in Dallas County, Iowa, United States, situated along the Raccoon River. The population was 1,484 at the time of the 2020 census. Van Meter is part of the Des Moines–West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Ottumwa is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,529 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. Located in the state's southeastern section, the city is split into northern and southern halves by the Des Moines River.
Allie Pierce Reynolds was an American professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). Reynolds pitched in MLB for the Cleveland Indians (1942–1946) and New York Yankees (1947–1954). A member of the Creek nation, Reynolds was nicknamed "Superchief".
Robert William Andrew Feller, nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians between 1936 and 1956. In a career spanning 570 games, Feller pitched 3,827 innings and posted a win–loss record of 266–162, with 279 complete games, 44 shutouts, and a 3.25 earned run average (ERA). His career 2,581 strikeouts were third all-time upon his retirement.
Fred Clifford Clarke was an American Major League Baseball player from 1894 to 1915 and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer, Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a left fielder and left-handed batter.
Robert Granville Lemon was an American right-handed pitcher and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). Lemon was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976.
Herbert Jude Score was an American professional baseball pitcher and announcer in Major League Baseball (MLB). He pitched for the Cleveland Indians from 1955 through 1959 and the Chicago White Sox from 1960 through 1962. He was the American League (AL) Rookie of the Year in 1955, and an AL All-Star in 1955 and 1956. Due to an on-field injury that occurred in 1957, he retired early as a player in 1962. Score was a television and radio broadcaster for the Cleveland Indians from 1964 through 1997. He was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 2006.
Thornton Starr Lee, nicknamed "Lefty", was an American starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cleveland Indians (1933–36), Chicago White Sox (1937–47) and New York Giants (1948). Lee batted and threw left-handed. He is the father of pitcher Don Lee.
William Adolf Wambsganss was an American second baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1914 through 1926, Wambsganss played for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, and Philadelphia Athletics. He is best remembered for making one of the most spectacular defensive plays in World Series history, an unassisted triple play.
John Landis Bassler was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played as a catcher in professional baseball for 26 seasons between 1911 and 1937, including nine seasons in Major League Baseball with the Cleveland Naps in 1913 and 1914 and the Detroit Tigers from 1921 to 1927. Bassler was one of the 1920s Tigers who benefited from the hitting instruction of Ty Cobb.
James Edward Hegan was an American professional baseball player, coach, and scout. He played for 17 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1941 to 1942 and 1946 to 1960, most notably for the Cleveland Indians with whom he won a World Series in 1948.
The Des Moines Demons were a minor league baseball team that was located in Des Moines, Iowa from 1925 to 1937 and 1959 to 1961. The teams played at Holcomb Park. The first professional night baseball game was played at Holcomb Park when the Demons played at home on May 2, 1930.
Alfred Voyle "Roxie" Lawson was an American baseball player and manager. He was a right-handed pitcher in professional baseball for 13 years from 1929 to 1941, including nine years in Major League Baseball with the Cleveland Indians (1930–1931), Detroit Tigers, and St. Louis Browns (1939–1940). During his major league career, he compiled a 47–39 win–loss record with a career earned run average (ERA) of 5.37. Lawson pitched with a right-handed side-arm delivery.
John Dean Collum was a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for eight different teams between the 1951 and 1962 seasons. Listed at 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), 160 lb (73 kg), Collum batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Victor, Iowa.
Robert Edward Kelly is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for four seasons for the Chicago Cubs from 1951 to 1953, the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1953 and 1958, and the Cleveland Indians in 1958.
The 2011 Cleveland Indians season marked the 111th season for the franchise, with the Indians improving on their fourth-place finish in the American League Central in 2010 by finishing in second place in 2011. The team played all of its home games at Progressive Field.
The Robert William Andrew Feller Farmstead is a federally designated historic site a couple miles northeast of Van Meter in Dallas County, Iowa, United States. It is the boyhood home of Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller. The historic district is 1.2 acres (0.49 ha). The Feller family farm was once 350 acres (140 ha) but most of it has been sold to other farmers and the current farm is 40 acres (16 ha). Feller sold the farmstead in 1955 and it is currently owned by Dr. Jose Angel since about 1994.
William Bell, Jr. was a former pitcher who played in the Negro American League in all or part of four seasons spanning 1949–1954. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, he batted and threw left handed.
The Bob Feller Act of Valor Award, created in 2013, is a set of awards originally presented annually to a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, a current Major League Baseball player, and a United States Navy Chief Petty Officer. In 2015, the Act of Valor Award Foundation added the Jerry Coleman Award to honor a United States Marine Corps Staff Noncommissioned Officer (SNCO), and two more Act of Valor awards for junior sailor peer-to-peer mentoring organizations. The baseball recipients are honored for their support of United States servicemen and women; the military awardees are honored for achievement that represents the character of Bob Feller. The Award is presented by the Bob Feller Act of Valor Award Foundation in conjunction with Major League Baseball, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, the Cleveland Guardians, and with the support of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.