A new mural devoted to Washington's Negro League stars was unveiled outside Ben's Chili Bowl
Ben's Chili Bowl is a Washington institution, serving up its famous "half-smoke" smoked sausages topped with mustard, onions and the famous chili. Long an essential part of the changing landscape of the city, it's a must-stop for any tourist between trips to things like the Lincoln Memorial or Capitol Building.
With the All-Star Game presented by Mastercard coming to the city next week, a new mural by Aniekan Udofia devoted to legends of Washington baseball history located in the alley between Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street and the Lincoln Theatre was unveiled on Thursday.
New mural in the alley between Ben¡¯s Chili Bowl and Lincoln Theatre honoring baseball legends Mamie ¡°Peanut¡± Johnson and Josh Gibson pic.twitter.com/tDQPtkBQ90
— Scott Allen (@ScottSAllen) July 12, 2018
On the left is Mamie "Peanut" Johnson, who played for the Alexandria All-Stars and St. Cyprian's -- two all-male teams that played at Banneker Field in Washington, and is one of three women to have played in the Negro Leagues. She went 33-8 in three seasons with the Indianapolis Clowns from 1953-55.
On the right is the fearsome power hitter, Josh Gibson. The Hall of Fame credits the slugger with nearly 800 home runs during his 17-year career -- 11 of which were with Washington's Homestead Grays. Once you've eaten and seen the mural, you can check out Gibson's statue outside the home plate gate at Nationals Park.
