No Crying in Baseball
World War II touched every part of life in the United States. This included baseball—the "national pastime." To keep people interested in the game while many of its best players were in the army, chewing gum businessman and Chicago Cubs’ owner Philip K. Wrigley started a professional women’s baseball league. The "All-American Girls Professional Baseball League" (or AAGPBL) lasted from 1943 until 1954.
The Rockford Peaches team was one of the first four teams in the league. Other teams were started in Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin, and South Bend, Indiana. At its peak in 1948, the league had 10 teams across the Midwest.
Interest in the AAGPBL declined after 1948 and the league struggled financially until 1954 when it was discontinued. The Peaches was one of the league’s best teams, winning the championship 4 times. They played in Rockford for all 12 years of the league’s existence. Only one other team played in its original city for all 12 years.
The Girls of Summer: The Rockford Peaches of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League is Midway Village Museum exhibit that tells the story of the Peaches and their place in the League.
