America was bright and hopeful in 1946. Japan formally surrendered on Sept. 2 1945 and American servicemen were coming home from World War II to a stronger economy that was unlike anything they had seen in their lifetime, and the Baby Boom was just beginning. Wartime shortages and rationing were over, and young American adults were free to spend time and money on carefree leisure that would have been unimaginable during their years in the Great Depression.

One of the most notable ways that postwar prosperity came to Montgomery was with the founding of Little League Baseball. According to Joan Wheal-Blank’s book Around Montgomery Borough 1940-1990, Montgomery Little League was founded in 1946, and has the world’s second oldest Little League charter. The meetings to establish the Montgomery charter were held in the barbershop that Richard Stahl owned. The barbershop was in the first floor of the former Montgomery Hotel that was located where the Uni-Mart stands today. The founding members of Montgomery Little League were: Dorsey Claudfelter, William Grove, Ray Koons, Horace “Lefty” Lovelace, Lester Page, Richard Stahl, Harold Tobias, and Sterling Weikel.

A year after Montgomery Little League was founded, the first Little League World Series was held and Montgomery teams competed, according to Wheal-Blank.

By the 1950s, the town’s WPA pool had fallen into disrepair. It was filled in to create the Little League field below the carnival grounds. It is still in use as River Field.

Over the years Montgomery Little League has continued to grow and t-ball and girl’s softball teams have been active for years.

The Montgomery Area Historical Society recently launched a project to capture the history of Montgomery Little League. Fae Herb said that they have baseballs that they are calling “Decade Baseballs.” They would like everyone who has ever played Montgomery Little League to sign the baseball that represents the decade they played in.

In addition to having Decade Baseballs for Little Leaguers to sign, they would like the members of the Montgomery Area High School Lady Raiders Softball Team who won the state championship earlier this year to sign a softball. This team is responsible for winning the first state championship title in school history.

Former Montgomery Little Leaguers who would like to autograph a Decade Baseball can go to the Adam Room Museum. It’s located at 3 West Houston Avenue in the former Adam Print Shop below the library. The museum is open from 10 am-1 pm every Saturday. There are also Third Thursday Talks at 6:30 pm each month.

The Historical Society has a nook dedicated to the history of Montgomery sports in the Adam Room Museum. Anyone who would like to see it is welcome to visit the Adam Room Museum. Admission is free to the museum and all historical society events.

For more information about the Montgomery Area Historical Society, please follow their Facebook page.