PlayBall! America’s Pastime in Fredericksburg

The Fredericksburg Area Museum (FAM) is excited to announce their newest exhibit, PlayBall! America’s Pastime in Fredericksburg is now open to the public. For over 160 years, Fredericksburg area residents have played, watched, listened to, and loved the sport of baseball. The game is woven into the fabric of our region’s community. FAM invites you to walk with us through Fredericksburg’s storied baseball history – and walk up to the Batter’s Box with the FredNats.

Sponsored by and in partnership with Germanna Community College and the Fredericksburg Nationals, FAM’s PlayBall! exhibit is full of pictures, players, jerseys, and other local baseball stories and memorabilia that take you through Fredericksburg’s storied baseball history and offers excitement for its future. Exhibit designer, Melanie Johnson, makes the exhibit come together with perfect flow, color, and design to walk you through Early Roots of Fredericksburg baseball, some of the area’s Heavy Hitters, Unfair Ball, and into the future with the FredNats display.

Art Silber, owner of the Fredericksburg Nationals, has graciously loaned his personal autographed baseball collection along with other FredNats items. FAM, Dovetail Cultural Resource Group, and Germanna Community College coordinated efforts to establish a History Pavilion at the new FredNats Ballpark which was unveiled in Fall of 2020. The Silber family’s dedication and commitment to the Fredericksburg area’s history is noted as a reason they chose our community for relocating their Minor League baseball team. The History Pavilion and FAM’s PlayBall! America’s Pastime in Fredericksburg complements each other in highlighting the Fredericksburg area’s strong history of the game of baseball. According to Seth Silber, one of the team owners, “The history of Fredericksburg and the history of baseball in Fredericksburg are incredibly deep and rich. We are thrilled to be a part of bringing that history alive in this incredible exhibit that serves as a tribute to the history of this sport that means so much to our family and this community.”

FAM also thanks the continued support of our season sponsors Virginia Partners Bank and the Community Bank of the Chesapeake.