But wherever you're from, some of your heroes are memorialized here. The third generation of Hillerichs still runs the business. Visitors first watch a stirring twenty-minute film about the history of the game. The factory tour is no mere show. The workers are actually making bats for big-leaguers.
Every bat is made of white ash, mainly from Pennsylvania.
Among myriad photos and memorabilia, there are interactive exhibits. A diorama and video show the process of growing and cutting the trees. Other rooms house traveling exhibits or special events. The city missed having one of its hallmark enterprises, and worked with the owners to acquire a large building in the downtown warehouse district, allowing the creation of the museum. The skyline is accented by the handle of a 120-foot bat, standing before the museum at a slight, jaunty angle.