Site Tour Stop 1: The History of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

NOV 19, 1982:
Fondation du Temple de la renommée et musée du baseball canadien

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was started in Toronto by Bruce Prentice and was incorporated on November 19, 1982. The main two homes for the Hall of Fame in Toronto were Exhibition Place and Ontario Place. The Hall of Fame closed its doors in Toronto in 1991. It soon began the search for a new home.

AUG 25, 1994:
St. Marys est le nouveau domicile du Temple et musée

During the early 1990s 12 cities expressed interest in becoming the new home for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The 12 were cut down to the top 2 cities: Guelph and St. Marys. Guelph had a strong connection to early baseball through George Sleeman who lived and worked in Guelph, and was a very influential figure in early Canadian baseball.

Ultimately St. Marys won the bidding process on August 25, 1994, becoming the new home for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. St. Marys won because of the town’s proximity to the Beachville game of 1838, and because of the land which was donated by the St. Marys Cement Company.

JUNE 4, 1998:
Ouverture officielle du Temple à St Marys.

The CBHFM originally opened in a converted farmhouse, which had initially been built in 1868. The museum was established in collaboration with the St. Marys Rotary Club, and the St. Marys Cement Company, who donated 32 acres of land to the project to establish playing fields.

NOVEMBER 23, 2017:
L'expansion de 2 500 p.c. du musée

Le projet porte principalement sur la création d’un endroit sécuritaire pour les archives et la bibliothèque. Le Temple garde sous son toit une collection importante de plus de 6000 livres et 10000 artefacts et objets. La rénovation permettra également de créer une nouvelle entrée principale et une boutique souvenir, une salle de bain accessible pour les personnes à mobilité réduite, un nouvel auditorium et une nouvelle salle d’exposition.

The project was made possible by a number of generous private donations and funding through the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program.