Sol White, a black baseball player from Bellaire, will be honored with the dedication of a historical marker at the southeast corner of Union Park. The Great Stone Viaduct Historical Education Society will be commemorating White’s legacy at 1 p.m. on September 13. The society’s trustee, Dan Frizzi, expressed the importance of promoting local history and recognizing the integrated baseball team that existed in Bellaire long before it happened in the Major Leagues.
The event will be open to the public, with a reception following at the park. The celebration will also include a reunion with peanuts and hot dogs for the first Bellaire High School baseball team and coach James Martinek. If there is rain, the reception will be moved inside the high school cafeteria. Frizzi mentioned that they are hoping to have representatives from the Pittsburgh Pirates organization present at the dedication.
Ohio History Connection Chief Development Officer Ann Ruege, Karen Lucas of the Lucas Fund, and baseball historian Leslie Heaphy from Kent State University are expected to attend the event. Frizzi emphasized that this dedication is a source of pride for the entire community of Bellaire, as it highlights the early integration of baseball in the local area.
Sol White, born in 1868 in Bellaire, began his baseball career at the age of 16 when he joined the Bellaire Globes semi-professional team in 1884. He also played for the Wheeling baseball team for a year. White went on to play for various negro teams, including the colored club of Pittsburgh, the Cuban Giants of New York, and the New York Gorhams. He eventually became a captain and player for the Philadelphia Giants colored baseball club before transitioning to a managerial role for several black baseball teams.
Despite his talent and success, White was unable to join Major League Baseball due to the color barrier that prevented African Americans from playing starting in 1888. He was forced to play on all-black teams, but he did have the opportunity to play on integrated local teams before the color barrier was established, which holds historical significance for Bellaire.
Sol White passed away in 1955 in New York. In 2006, he was posthumously inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame for his contributions to pre-negro leagues from 1887-1912 and negro leagues from 1920-1926. White was not only a talented athlete but also an educated man, attending primary schools in Bellaire and Wilberforce University. He wrote the first definitive history of black baseball players in America with his work „Sol White’s History of Colored Baseball.“
Frizzi emphasized the importance of knowing and celebrating local history, as it helps to preserve the legacy of individuals like Sol White who played a significant role in shaping the community’s history. The dedication of the historical marker at Union Park serves as a reminder of White’s contributions to baseball and his impact on the Bellaire community.