[COMING JUN 9] Open The Door: Baseball’s Color Line in Central Pennsylvania


Coming June 9, 2025!

A black and white image of a young Black man in a baseball uniform.
Keith Kelley began playing for the Lancaster Red Roses in 1951, pitching a no-hitter in his debut. From the Collections of LancasterHistory.

When Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color line in 1947, he toppled a barrier that existed nationwide. Even in Central Pennsylvania, the sport was segregated. All-Black teams like the Harrisburg Giants played in the Eastern Colored League. And the Lancaster Red Roses were all-white until their integration in 1951. “Open the Door,” a collaboration with local historian Jeremy Raff, will tell the remarkable stories of these teams and the men who played for them on the 100th anniversary of the Giants’ stint playing at Lancaster’s Rossmere Base Ball Park.

“Open The Door” will be on display at LancasterHistory in Stoudt Gallery from June 9 – August 30, 2025. Admission to the exhibit is included with the purchase of a General Admission ticket or Exhibitions-Only ticket. LancasterHistory Members receive complimentary admission.