If Carnegie Mayor James Pascoe has his way, Pittsburgh Pirates' Hall of Fame shortstop Honus Wagner, who lived his entire life in the borough, soon will have a museum in his honor.

Pascoe said he is compelled to establish a museum to the late, great baseball player after receiving phone calls and letters suggesting that Carnegie do more to honor the player known also as The Flying Dutchman.

He conceived of the museum after Wagner's granddaughter, Leslie Blair, donated several plaques to the borough about a year ago.

To get the museum started, Pascoe has set a timetable. "My goal is to try to get 100 pieces of memorabilia by this summer," he said.

To properly showcase the items, Pascoe plans to purchase a building in Carnegie before that time. Until then, he is using the municipal building on Veterans Way as temporary museum headquarters. He is looking for Honus Wagner memorabilia, monetary donations and items like computers, phones, printers and camera equipment.

Carol Schneider, of the Carnegie Community Development Corp., will help him locate a permanent facility for the museum.

A roadside historical marker honoring the birthplace of Wagner, who was born Feb. 24, 1874 and died Dec. 6, 1955, was erected on Mansfield Boulevard and Chartiers Avenue, in 1998. The Pirates retired his number, 33, after his death.

Wagner, who was the National League's batting champion in eight of 21 consecutive seasons in which he hit .300. He was a charter member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, inducted with four other players in 1936.

Wagner had a career .329 batting average, capped by a .381 average in 1900. He hit 101 homes runs and stole 722 bases in his career, leading the National League five times. Wagner also was the first player to have his signature on a Louisville Slugger baseball bat.

After his playing days, he was a manager for the Pirates. He also coached children, and encouraged them to set high goals. In 1909, he insisted that his baseball card be recalled because it was being distributed at the time with tobacco. A nonsmoker, he wanted to set a good example for young people.

For more information about the proposed Honus Wagner Museum, contact: jim@honuswagnermuseum.com.