Montgomery, Ala., is known as “the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement,” dating to the 1955 boycott of the city bus system sparked by Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat. The Alabama capital’s Civil Rights Tour includes myriad sites that illuminate the history of the movement, and it will soon include a new landmark: Riverwalk Stadium, home of the Montgomery Biscuits.
On Thursday, the Biscuits — Double-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays — joined the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum and the city of Montgomery in announcing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Annex at Riverwalk Stadium. This permanent exhibit, featuring memorabilia, art and digital elements, will be dedicated to illuminating the history of the Negro Leagues as well as baseball’s impact on the Civil Rights Movement writ large. It is scheduled to open at the start of the Biscuits’ 2026 campaign.
Bob Kendrick, president of the Kansas City-based Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, said, “The birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement is a perfect location to highlight the important role Negro Leagues baseball played in helping usher in the Civil Rights Movement.”
Lou DiBella, CEO of the Biscuits, added, “We are proud to shine a light on Montgomery’s rich baseball history while helping to amplify the expansion of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City and its mission to preserve and share stories that are essential to the American experience.”
Riverwalk Stadium, located just steps away from the racial injustice-focused The Legacy Museum, is among Minor League Baseball’s most architecturally unique ballparks. The downtown facility, which opened in 2004, is situated where a Civil War-era prison once stood. Later in the 19th century, a train shed and railroad office was built on the site, and this historic structure was incorporated into the ballpark’s first-base-side exterior.
The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Annex will be located within this portion of the ballpark, an area defined by its stately brick walls and archways. Alabamans such as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Satchel Paige will feature prominently amid displays that include, per the press release, “plaques, memorabilia, casework, murals and art [that] will highlight teams, players and historical figures that all made an impact on baseball in Montgomery.”
As for Montgomery’s own Negro League history, the city was home to the Gray Sox (sometimes referred to as the Grey Sox), who played in various iterations from 1920 to 1932 in the Negro Southern League. The Gray Sox were charter members of the circuit, whose story is told in full at Birmingham’s Negro Southern League Museum (located adjacent to Regions Field, home of the Birmingham Barons). The Biscuits have played throwback games in Gray Sox uniforms on multiple occasions in recent years, including the 2024 MiLB at Rickwood Field game in Birmingham.
“The new museum exhibit is a welcome addition to our city and Negro Leagues baseball is an important piece of Montgomery’s Civil Rights history,” said Montgomery mayor Steven L. Reed. “We look forward to welcoming fans and tourists to the ballpark as part of our historic Montgomery Civil Rights Tour.”
