About Me

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I am a historian passionate about baseball, and am fascinated with how the game is a microcosm of our lives and of the United States.   

The purpose of 27th and Jefferson is to act as an archive of my past work, and to chronicle my musings of baseball and the world around me. Altogether, this website will show my creativity as a historian and be a valuable asset for both myself and visitors. History buries its treasure deep, and it takes a dedicated person to unearth this El Dorado and polish it for consumption.

Why call this venture 27th and Jefferson? The Jefferson Street Grounds and later Athletic Park occupied this intersection in Philadelphia, Pa. It was the site of the first Major League Baseball game in 1876 and the site of one of the earliest interracial baseball games in history in 1869, played by two high profile clubs of the era. It was the site of our budding national pastime and the site of early integration efforts. A public recreation center now sits on part of the site. In 2017, I culminated my campaign to place a Pennsylvania historical marker at the site in front of family, friends, and colleagues. This particular Brewerytown neighborhood intersection has remained a driving inspiration in my life, and I will continue my historian journey here.

Thank you for visiting. I hope you will find my musings interesting and my work useful. Feel free to reach out and connect with me.

- Matt Albertson

B.A. (History) Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, 2012

M.A. (History) Villanova University, 2014