Home of the first recorded baseball game in North America, played in 1838.
The Beachville District Museum is inviting visitors to experience local history in a hands-on way, blending heritage, learning, and baseball.
Sydney Williams, Interim Curator Manager, says the museum is a community partnership dedicated to preserving and sharing the histories of Southwest Oxford and Zora Township.
The museum's permanent exhibits highlight Beachville’s limestone industry and its unique place in baseball history.
Williams explains that Beachville is recognized as the site of the first recorded baseball game in North America, played on June 4, 1838.
Dr. Ford, also recorded notes about the handmade equipment used, including a simple cedar stick bat and a stitched baseball.
That history now inspires the museum’s Hands-On Heritage programs, launched in 2024 with support from a Community Futures Oxford grant. The programs offer interactive experiences, including a popular baseball-making workshop, as well as butter churning and Victorian quilting workshops. Williams tells us more.
The finished ball is similar in size to a modern baseball, allowing visitors to compare past and present.
Williams says the programs have received strong feedback, particularly from families and multi-generational groups learning together. Registration is available through the museum’s website, with workshops scheduled for Feb. 14 and April 18.
