Haldimand Museums celebrate local history with exhibits at the Haldimand County Administration Building

Throughout March, the public is invited to visit Haldimand County’s Administration Building (HCAB) in Cayuga to learn more about the community’s local sporting history.

Haldimand Museums have installed an exhibit featuring William “Hipple” Galloway, a star athlete in the late 1800s who grew up and went to school in Dunnville.  Born in Buffalo, NY in 1882, Galloway moved to  Dunnville with his family when he was six years old. During his school years, he developed into an outstanding athlete, excelling in baseball and hockey. Galloway became the first Black Canadian player in organized baseball. He was also an exceptional hockey player. In 1898, at just 16 years of age, he joined the Woodstock team in the Central Ontario Hockey Association (COHA), part of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA). He played his first game on January 20, 1899, and, by mid-1899, was considered one of the top players in the COHA. In 2021, William was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Coming  March 6 is a celebration of the life and legacy of local tennis champion, Louise Cook Brown with an exhibit of memorabilia and a feature on HCTV. Born in Dunnville in 1923, Brown graduated from Dunnville High School in 1940, by which time she was already an avid and excellent tennis player, including becoming the Dunnville Tennis Club’s champion in 1939. By 1957, Brown had become a singles and doubles champion in the Canadian Open, Ontario Open and Quebec Open. She was also an 11-time Ontario Open singles champion and captain and player on the Canadian Federation Cup Team. Brown played her opening match at Wimbledon in 1963 against 21-time Grand Slam winner, Margaret Court. Known as a mentor in the sport, she served as Secretary of the Ontario Tennis Association from 1965 to 1970 and was a Top 10-Ranked player in Canada for twenty consecutive years. During her lifetime, Louise Brown was considered the “Grand Dame” of Canadian Tennis.

The Haldimand County Administration Building is located at 53 Thorburn Street West, Cayuga, ON. For more information, email museums@haldimandcounty.on.ca.