The Baseball Hall of Fame opened to the public in 1939 (though the first Hall of Fame election was held in 1936). Cooperstown was chosen as it was the hometown of Abner Doubleday who, at one point, was credited with inventing the modern game of baseball.
Today, the Baseball Hall of Fame is best known for its induction of the game’s greatest players and managers into their Plaque Gallery. Walking into this area of the museum, one feels an instant sense of reverence. This feeling is heightened by two lines of great columns of Vermont Verde leading into the Rotunda, a spectacular glass-topped Verde dome with light streaming in like a cathedral.
Straight ahead, in the middle of the Rotunda, you’ll find the first five inductees in the Hall of Fame, which are flanked by some of the most recent additions. All told, there are more than 300 plaques on display, hanging in chronological order from when they were inducted. Many of the players are well-known even decades after they finished playing.
Take a look around the Gallery of Plaques with this 360° viewer.
