ON THE BALL: The Pennington All Stars are among the Black baseball teams represented in “All Stars: Black Baseball in New Jersey and Beyond” next month. The exhibit, which runs through next June, highlights the stories, struggles, and triumphs of African American baseball players, particularly from the Sourland area.
By Anne Levin
A few years ago, a local resident happened to stumble upon a box of historical letters from the 1920s to 1940s, most of which had been written to Negro Baseball League player Paul “Beetle” Arnold. A Pennington resident, Arnold was a standout player during the Jim Crow era, when Blacks were excluded from the major leagues — and built their own.
The letters became the impetus for “All Stars: Black Baseball in New Jersey and Beyond,” on view at the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM) in Skillman, which is dedicated to African American history. Opening weekend includes a ticketed reception on Friday, August 8, followed by free admission on Saturday, August 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The exhibit, developed by SSAAM with support from the Somerset Patriots baseball team, remains on view through June 2026.
“This man was generous enough to loan the letters to the museum,” said Isabela Morales, curator for the exhibit. “We will have reproductions of them along with research we’ve gleaned from the letters. The exhibit goes into the contributions of Arnold and other Black baseball players from the Sourland area and Central New Jersey — and wider — from that period. None of these have ever been displayed before.”
The installation highlights the stories of the Black players who shaped the game against the backdrop of segregation and seclusion. At the opening reception, SSAAM will premiere an original short film featuring the oral histories of community members who knew Arnold, Brooklyn Dodgers star Roy Campanella, and other local baseball legends. Personal artifacts, photographs, and first-hand recollections explore their struggles and triumphs.
“There was a different kind of baseball,” said Patricia Payne, a SSAAM board member and lifelong baseball fan, in the press release. “Part of that would be base-stealing and speed of the game that showed off their talent. Unfortunately, this talent was never allowed to fully participate in the major leagues.”
For Morales, researching the exhibit opened up a new world. “I am a historian of the 19th century, mostly studying slavery and emancipation,” she said. “This was a completely new area for me. I was fascinated to dig into the history of this sport, particularly related to the Black experience. The white supremacy of the Jim Crow era and how it figured into baseball is interesting and tragic. In some ways, we contrast that in the exhibit.”
For the short film, Morales talked to local community elders about their memories of favorite Black players. Payne, in particular, “was a wealth of knowledge of teams of the last 80 years and before,” she said. “Speaking with her and others who had firsthand memories of things like watching the [Brooklyn] Dodgers win, and watching their fathers and relatives play on teams in the area, was so meaningful.”
The struggles and resourcefulness of Black baseball players will likely be news to some.
“I don’t think people are fully aware of how important baseball was to American culture in general,” Morales said. “And in African American culture and society, it wasn’t just a time to get together and have fun. It was a part of the Black economy during Jim Crow. Baseball provided economic opportunities. One of my favorite stories in the exhibit is about a man known as the “peanut king” of New Jersey and Princeton. He was a vendor who sold at games and campus events, whom many people remember.”
The focus at SSAAM is on local stories, “which you’re not going to find in a textbook or even on Google,” Morales said. “Until we tell them, they live in descendants’ memories. This is local flavor you really can’t find elsewhere. We try to make them scholarly, rigorous, and as fun as possible.”
The museum is located at 183 Hollow Road in Skillman. The opening reception is Friday, August 8 at 6:30 p.m. Visit ssaamuseum.org/all-stars-exhibit for ticket information. The free open hours are Saturday, August 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mt. Zion AME Church, 189 Hollow Road.