History

Located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where volleyball was invented in 1895, this hall of fame began as an idea in 1971, when the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce created a committee to promote the town as the sport's birthplace.

In response, the U. S. Volleyball Association designated the Holyoke Public Library as the official repository for memorabilia of the sport.

Plans for a physical site didn't begin to move forward until 1985, when volleyball's inventor, William G. Morgan, was inducted as the hall of fame's first member. The following year, 1600 feet of exhibit space was set aside in a local building. The hall formally opened to the public on June 6, 1987.

The sport's centennial celebration in 1995 greatly accelerated interest in the hall of fame project. Plans were developed for an independent museum complex and for a new interim location, which opened in the fall of 1997.

Fund raising is still underway to build a permanent home for the hall of fame.

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