Ted Williams museum in Florida closes
HERNANDO, Fla. --The Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame closed Sunday, a victim of a lack of attendance and interest following the baseball star's death.
The diamond-shaped museum, which opened in 1994, attracted sports legends to its many events and featured a collection that chronicled Williams' life, including his exploits as a fighter pilot, Boston Red Sox left-fielder and accomplished fisherman.
But poor attendance caused in part by its out-of-the-way location in west-central Florida made running the museum too expensive, said David
"You can't exist too many years like that without having some kind of endowment backing you," Staples, 78, said before the museum opened for the last time Sunday. "We just weren't near any metropolitan areas where you could draw regular attendance."
Staples had opened and closed the museum on weekends since 1994. He's seen prominent figures such as Joe DiMaggio, Muhammad Ali and former President George H. W. Bush attended ceremonies at the museum.
Many other sports figures came to visit and, specifically, share time with Williams, the last hitter to bat .400. Fans would visit in hopes of running into Williams, who lived nearby. But after Williams' death in July 2002, they stopped coming.
"All his friends and associates that used to come here, they would come out of respect to Ted, having breakfast with him and talking to him," Staples said. "He was a lure."
Citrus County resident Monte Irvin, a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, said the museum ceremonies were special.
"Down through the years all the great hitters and pitchers have visited the museum and spent time looking through it," Irvin told the Citrus County Chronicle. "We'll miss all that."
The museum's main collection celebrates baseball in many ways, including the Hitter's Hall of Fame, a Williams creation that features 54 players, including Babe Ruth, Stan Musial and Pete Rose.
The baseball exhibits are being moved to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, and Staples hopes a home can be found for the fishing memorabilia and war exhibits as well.
However, the museum foundation will remain intact and the collection will only be on loan to other locations, Staples said.
"It's not going to be given away or sold in any way," Staples said. "It's going to be broadened and more and more people will be exposed to these things."
Sue Colabelli, a staff member at the museum since 2000, said approximately 120 guests came to the museum on its last day.
Colabelli played softball as a child and remembers wanting to be like Williams, who was on her Wheaties box, and later meeting him at a beauty shop near the museum.
"It's sad," Colabelli said. "It's an absolutely beautiful building. It's just in the wrong location."
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On the Net:
Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame: http://www.twmuseum.com
