Join us on June 17 for the next online lecture in our 2021 series: The Crowd Went Wild! Presented by Canada’s premier baseball historian, William Humber, discover the role the railways played in popularizing baseball in Canada.

Canadian baseball’s biggest myth is how Americans imposed it on us. Not so! We shared with them the modern game’s evolution from its folk roots. In some ways, Canadians had an even bigger role. The railway system brought this early role to full maturity. Its independent growth in Ontario, between 1854-1873, was railway reliant. Railway porters were likely the first African-Canadian team in 1869. In 1934, Babe Ruth started his epical trip to Japan with a rail stopover in Moose Jaw. The crowd on a Saskatchewan platform went wild! To this day the GO train or subway takes most people to Blue Jays games and the VIA stopover in St. Marys Ontario is a homerun drive to Canada’s Baseball Hall of Fame.

Tickets

There are two types of tickets for this event, VIP and General Admission. General Admission is $10 and gives the user access to our Youtube live stream. VIP Admission is $25 and grants access to our exclusive Zoom meeting room, where attendees can engage directly with the presenter and museum historians in our post-lecture Q&A. VIP ticket holders are also have a chance to win one of several prizes, such as signed Toronto Blue Jays memorabilia, tickets to Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, and a railway history book generously donated by the Palmerston Railway Heritage Museum! Proceeds from ticket sales will go towards future programming and support the collection, preservation, restoration of Canadian rail artifacts and important historical interpretation at the TRM.

Hurry! The first 50 VIP ticket purchasers will get a free Blue Jays hat! Pick up only.

About William Humber

William Humber of Bowmanville entered Canada’s Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018 for championing the game’s history in Canada. Author of 12 books including five on baseball, he is often asked to comment on baseball by amongst others the CBC and the Rogers Sportsnet. For the past 43 years he has taught a “Baseball Spring Training for Fans” course, (on-line this year), preparing fans for the season ahead. He is a respected member of the Society for American Baseball Research’s 19th century research community.

About the Toronto Railway Museum (TRM)

The Toronto Railway Museum (TRM) brings people together by telling stories of Toronto’s railway heritage. The Museum is located in the heart of downtown Toronto and is typically open year-round. TRM presents exhibits, tours, educational programs and publications that broaden the understanding and appreciation of Toronto’s rich railway history. TRM is committed to telling the stories of the railways, and welcoming conversations of its varied experiences through its lecture series, exhibits and integrated programming with a mission to learn from the past to make the future better.