Caption: Louisville Sluggers got their start in Cattaraugus County. The white ash tree found locally in New York and Pennsylvania was harvested by Larimer and Norton, Inc. of Ellicottville. The building is now known as the Ellicottville Square building and has been renovated to house businesses, offices and an eight-lane bowling alley (Tim & Bonnie’s Pizza & Bowling).
By Kate Bartlett
Did you know the famous Louisville Slugger baseball bat has connections to the Ellicottville and Allegheny region? The company has been making these legendary baseball bats in Louisville Kentucky for over 175 years, but all of the wood is found here on the New York-Pennsylvania border. This lush land produces the ideal wood for baseball bats, and is the only wood used by the company. White ash, birch and maple tree wood from this region is considered the best. Rumor has it the company went searching for land during the great depression, and stumbled upon the fertile Allegheny region.
For many years the Larimer & Norton building on Bristol Lane was home to a satellite Louisville slugger factory. Here, wood was seasoned, split and processed. Once it was found to have the right moisture content and size, the product was shipped to the Slugger Company in Louisville, Kentucky for final touches and finishing. A total of 1.4 million bats were produced annually. Larimer & Norton also produced souvenir bats (smaller bats given away on ‘bat day’ at major league games’). They closed doors in September 2006 with newer technology operations in Louisville. The building is now known as the Ellicottville Square building and has been renovated to house businesses, offices and an eight-lane bowling alley (Tim & Bonnie’s Pizza & Bowling).
History of the slugger dates back to the 1880’s. According to company legend, “the first pro bat was created by 17-year-old Bud for Pete Browning in 1884. Browning was a megastar on Louisville’s major league team. Bud saw Browning break his bat during a game and offered to make a new one at his woodworking shop. According to the story, in the next game Browning got three hits with the bat Bud made. Browning’s nickname was, “The Louisville Slugger.”
Bud was passionate about adding baseball bats to the family business, but his father wanted no part of that product. However, Bud continued to push and improve the bat-making business, and thus the Hillerich’s baseball bat business grew. The name “Louisville Slugger” became their registered trademark and Bud joined his father as a partner. The company changed to Hillerich & Bradsby Co. when salesman Frank Bradsby brought his professional sales and marketing expertise to the business when he signed on as a full partner.
Louisville Slugger bats have dominated as the equipment of choice for the greatest players in the game. Legendary Sluggers include Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, George Brett, Ken Griffey Jr, and Derek Jeter. Players still visit the factory to hand-select their wood, and personally design their bats.
When visiting the factory in Louisville, guests are able to explore the museum, take a factory tour to learn and watch the bats being made, take a swing in the batting cage with the sluggers, view the signature wall of famous players and hold a piece of history. That’s right, guests are allowed to hold old bats that were actually used by the greatest players in the game, including Babe Ruth, Johnny Bench, Derek Jeter and many more. It is also home to the World’s Largest Baseball Bat and 17-ton sculpture “The Big Glove”.
For more information be sure to visit https://www.sluggermuseum.com/