International Volleyball Hall of Fame
The International Volleyball Hall of Fame was founded to honor extraordinary players, coaches, officials, and leaders who have made significant contributions to the game of volleyball. The Hall of Fame is located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan at the local YMCA.
History
In 1971, the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce established a committee to campaign for the founding of the Volleyball Hall of Fame in Holyoke, Massachusetts.By 1977, the city of Holyoke installed signs declaring the location as the "Home of the Volleyball Hall of Fame". However, the advertised attraction was merely a small display case of memorabilia that alternated between being hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Wistariahurst Museum. In 1978, the committee incorporated as Holyoke Volleyball Hall of Fame, The Volleyball Hall of Fame aims to preserve and promote the history, culture, and values of while honoring the outstanding athletes, coaches, referees, administrators, and other influential figures associated with the sport.
A small exhibit dedicated to the history of volleyball and the hall of fame's inductees opened in a section of the renovated Skinner Mill Warehouse on June 6, 1987 - a building built in 1949 to store silk fabric produced by the famous Skinner Mill in Holyoke. The mill itself was destroyed by fire in 1980.
In 1998, the exhibit was expanded and moved to a permanent location in the Skinner Mill Warehouse in downtown Holyoke's Heritage State Park sharing the building with the Holyoke Children's Museum.
The IVHF museum now features exhibits honoring each year's inductees, a replica of a full-size volleyball court, sport timelines, photos, and unique and meaningful memorabilia of the sport along with an interactive video kiosk, a special inductee display area, and a gift shop.
In 1985, William G. Morgan was posthumously inducted into the hall as its first member. As of 2025, a total of 185 men and women from 28 countries around the world have been inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame.