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Why was the National Baseball Hall of Fame established in Cooperstown?

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Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers, wearing a white uniform and helmet, watches his hit while holding a bat during a game at Dodger Stadium. — Baseball Freddie Freeman, shown here in a 2023 game, was named World Series MVP in 2024 after hitting four home runs and driving in 12 runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was established in Cooperstown, New York, based on the widely held but inaccurate belief that U.S. Army officer Abner Doubleday invented baseball there in 1839.12

In 1907, a commission appointed by Albert G. Spalding concluded that Doubleday had formulated the game's essential rules in Cooperstown during that year. This narrative was used to support the idea that baseball was of purely American origin. Consequently, when plans were made for the 1939 centennial celebration of the sport, Cooperstown was selected as the site for the Hall of Fame.12

However, historical research has since discredited this story, confirming that Doubleday was not in Cooperstown in 1839 and that the sport actually evolved from older English games such as rounders. Despite the inaccuracy of its founding myth, the museum remains the official home of baseball history.12