Collecting pieces of Minnesota's past for the future
About
The Minnesota Historical Society preserves and makes available a wide range of materials chronicling Minnesota's history and culture. The goals of the Collections Department are to collect and preserve; provide access and interpretation; and engage in education and outreach. This blog is a tool to share these stories and let people know what is happening in the department.
Base from Metropolitan Stadium
By: admin
| Our Favorite Things
| October 2, 2009
The Minnesota Twins 2009 season is winding down as I write. It's been a noteworthy year, as it's the team's last in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Come next April, the Twins will play at Target Field, in the open under blue skies for the first time in over 25 years.
The Twins' move reminds me of one of my favorite pieces in the collection. It's a base used at their pre-Metrodome home, Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. In fact, it's a base used at their final game played at the Met. That match, against the Kansas City Royals on September 30, 1981, resulted in a 2-5 loss. According to our records, the base had been used for up to three years prior to the last game, and repainted after every game. Unfortunately, we don't know whether it served as first, second, or third base during the finale.
Metropolitan Stadium, which had been built in 1955 specifically to attract a major league baseball team to Minnesota, was razed in 1985. (The Mall of Amercia was built in its place a few years later.) Today, the Metrodome's fate is an open question, as the Twins and the University of Minnesota's Golden Gophers are out, and the Vikings are hoping for a new stadium. We can be sure, though, that whatever happens to the Dome, the fans who grew up with it will remember it fondly, just as their parents remember the Met.
Matt Anderson, Objects Curator
Learn More:
- See photos of Metropolitan Stadium in the Photo & Art Database.
- See photos of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in the Photo & Art Database.
- Purchase Baseball in Minnesota: The Definitive History from the online store.