New exhibit about Derby & Ball history opens in Municipal Complex

A new exhibit by the Waterbury Historical Society is now on display at the Waterbury Municipal Complex, exploring the emergence, evolution, and eventual demise of the Derby & Ball Corp.

Derby & Ball was primarily know for manufacturing three types of equipment: scythe snaths, baseball bats, and skis. Its origins can be found in the 1920 merger of two already-thriving snath manufacturing companies: Edwards & Edwards in Waterbury and Derby, Ball Corp. in Bellows Falls. The latter had been operating since the 1850s,

One page of a 4-page advertising spread for Derby & Ball's ski line, Ski Sport. WHS Archives.

while the former opened just 9 years prior to the consolidation. By 1930, about 25% of scythe snaths used by American farmers came from Derby, Ball, Edwards Corp. The tools could be found in markets as far away as New Zealand and Australia.

Newspaper clipping from the Waterbury Record, March 12, 1930, about the growth of Derby, Ball, Edwards Corp.

Ad for Derby, Ball, Edwards Corp. baseball bats. WHS Archives.

Derby-made for America's game

In 1930, the company added baseball bats to its product line and became a major supplier to teams and leagues across New England and beyond, including Major League Baseball.

After only a few years, Derby, Ball & Edwards stepped away from bat-making, rebranded as Derby & Ball, and shifted to a different sport with deep roots in Vermont recreation: skiing. The factory closed in the 1960s.

Exhibit preview at Senior Center

The Outreach Education Committee teased the new exhibit last week at the Senior Center with a brief lunchtime presentation of some snaths and baseball bats from the historical society's collection. The Waterbury Public Library brought some books about baseball in their pop-up library to go along with the history presentation.

Books about baseball available for checkout from the Waterbury Public Library.

Librarian DeAnna Romstad assists Skip Flanders with the presentation.

The Derby & Ball exhibit, which will run until September 22,

can be viewed in the Steele Community Room during Municipal Complex hours, Monday-Friday, 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. and by special request by contacting the Waterbury Historical Society.

Steele Community Room exhibits rotate on a quarterly basis. To learn more about exhibit guidelines and application instructions, CLICK HERE.