October 1922 saw lots of things happening in the Orangeville area. Barns had caught fire, a child almost drowned when she fell into a well, and the debate about automobiles passing funeral processions continued with great passion.

WILLIAM HENDERSON is shown (third from left) with some of the 1922 Dufferins. But the local front pages of October 19 were filled with the news of the Orangeville Dufferins winning the Ontario Intermediate Championship Lacrosse Game against Weston. No news could beat that!

All summer, the local team had been winning games against such rivals as Bradford, Elora, Shelburne, Durham and Fergus. Interest in the game grew as the wins kept racking up. The final game, against Weston, was held at the field in Idylwyld Park before an estimated 3,500 fans. It was noted that the automobiles were parked three deep and hundreds of spectators lined along the fence, as the grandstand was full to overflowing. It was a close game, but in the end the score was 4-2 and the locals went wild when the final whistle was blown.

The Orangeville Sun noted that “no disturbances of any kind occurred at the game.” The article reported that “calls of Cut Him Down and Lay on the Hickory have been few.” There was one sad note to the day.

While sitting in his car watching the game, Robert H. Robinson had a sudden heart attack and died. Although there were several doctors in the crowd, their attempts to revive the local merchant failed. He operated a local grocery store and was a popular citizen of the town. “When the news of the event spread through the crowd at the game, the greatest regret was expressed.” Mr. Robinson had played lacrosse for Orangeville when the team won the Intermediate Championship in 1887, the first year of the Canadian Lacrosse Association.

The Sun also listed biographies of the Orangeville team. One of the members was William Henderson, the cover point. Born in Orangeville, he had started with the team only two years prior, in 1920. Gaining notoriety for intercepting passes, he weighed a mere 150 pounds. He was a blacksmith, 24 years of age, and at the time single.

The following month the press reported that each player had been given a watch from the Town of Orangeville to commemorate the victory.

The staff of the museum had once seen the watch that had been presented to player Armour Robinson, still cherished by his family. A frantic e-mail from one of the volunteers last month alerted the DCMA that one of the presentation watches was for sale on Ebay. We checked it out and indeed it was legitimate. With our successful bid, a very rare piece of Orangeville’s lacrosse history was coming home. The price was US $300. The watch, which has since arrived at the museum, is a pocket style, gold wash on the case and made by the Waltham company in the USA. Beautifully engraved on the back are the words “ Ontario Lacrosse Champs, Presented to Wm. Henderson, by the Citizens of Orangeville, 1922, C. Point.” There is almost no wear to the plating.

The seller had no idea of the history of the watch, the only information given was that they had bought the watch at an auction and that they did not wish to be identified on our museum records.

Nevertheless, to have a wonderful piece of history like this in our collection is truly remarkable. It not only represents a person from Orangeville’s past but also represents the incredible history that this area has had and continues to have in the area of lacrosse. There is no person interested in Canadian lacrosse that does not know about Orangeville teams through the years.

The museum still needs to source a sponsor for the purchase. Are any of our local lacrosse players or supporters interested? As a sponsor, your name appears on the label each time the watch is exhibited, and you will be issued a tax receipt for your cash donation.

Artifacts come from various sources, almost always donated. But the Internet sometimes shows up with bits of things that would normally not be known. Without the Internet this little watch from Thorold would never have ended up back home. The museum has a wonderful sampling of lacrosse history and memorabilia, but this watch is truly special. And after all, making Dufferin proud of its past is part of our job and we are glad to do it.

William Henderson died in 1964 and is buried with his wife, Rachel King in Forest Lawn Cemetery, Orangeville.

The Dufferin County Museum and Archives is situated on the North East corner of Hwy 89 and Airport Rd. For more information, please call 705-435- 1881 or toll free 1-877-941-7787, or visit our website www.dufferinmuseum.com