Press Release
May 12, 2015
Contact: Adam Lynn
Chisholm Trail Museum, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-375-5176
ctmus@pldi.net
www.ctokmuseum.org
Chisholm Trail Museum to Open "Carl Mays: From Kingfisher to the Big Leagues" Exhibit
Kingfisher, Okla.—On Saturday, June 6, at 1 p.m. the Chisholm Trail Museum in Kingfisher will open a new exhibit about former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Carl Mays. The exhibit is entitled "Carl Mays: From Kingfisher to the Big Leagues." Mays started playing baseball in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, in the early 1900s and went on to play in the major leagues for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Giants.
Carl Mays was born in Liberty, Kentucky, on November 12, 1891. After the sudden passing of his father, Mays's mother moved the family to Kingfisher around 1903. Carl Mays worked on his family's farm and grew up playing baseball with other young boys out in the local pastures, often using dried cow chips for bases. After Kingfisher beat Hennessey with Mays at the helm as pitcher, the Hennessey Sluggers offered to pay him more money to pitch for their team. Consequently, Mays moved approximately twenty miles north to pitch for the Hennessey Sluggers in 1909, where he led the team to the title game. According to the Hennessey Clipper newspaper, Mays recorded a no-hitter and won every game he pitched for the Sluggers. Toward the end of his MLB career, Mays retained his ties to the Kingfisher County area, sending letters to friends residing in Hennessey and Kingfisher. Carl Mays was one of the best MLB pitchers from 1915 to 1929; however, he most often is remembered for causing Major League Baseball's only fatality. In 1920, before batting helmets were used, Mays's submarine ball cracked the skull of Cleveland's Ray Chapman, who died the next day.
For more information about this exhibit, please contact Director Adam Lynn at 405-375-5176 or ctmus@pldi.net. The Chisholm Trail Museum and Governor A. J. Seay Mansion are located at 605 Zellers Avenue in Kingfisher.
The Chisholm Trail Museum is an affiliate of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains 31 museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
