Page 13 - March 2017 Thoroughbred Highlight

William Hendrie was a Founding Member of the OJC
Hamilton Spectator - William Hendrie was born in 1831 in Glasgow and arrived in Hamilton at 17 to start an immensely pro table career in construction and shipping.
The horse-drawn wagons of Hendrie and Company handled the vast majority of goods that the railroads brought to Hamilton’s North End train yards. From the company stables at Bay and Market streets, Hendrie’s 300 horses would have been a familiar sight, pulling atbed wagons loaded with goods arriving from across the country.
The Hendrie’s Hamilton residence, Homestead, played host to King George V and his son, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII).
Hendrie didn’t limit his interests to work horses. He was a founding member and president of the Ontario Jockey Club and in 1899 his horse, ButterScotch, won The Queen’s Plate.
A year earlier, his horse Martimas won the Futurity in New York and Hendrie donated part of the winnings for a new wing at Hamilton General Hospital. Martimas Avenue runs north-south behind Centre Mall, which was built on the site of the Hamilton Jockey Club and race track.
Hendrie also owned 122 acres in Aldershot where he kept a summer home and a racing stable in the area of Unsworth Avenue and Plains Road.
William Hendrie died at Homestead in 1906 and his widow, Mary, remained in residence until her death in 1933.
One of Hamilton’s last links to its Victorian age, Mrs. Hendrie was hailed as “an inspiring example of Canada’s nest womanhood.”
Their son, George donated the land to the Royal Botanical Gardens in 1931, creating Hendrie Park Gardens. On his death, his ashes were interred in the Louisville Cup trophy that had been won by one of his horses.
Homestead was demolished in 1936.
READ the full Hamilton Spectator article here
Additional Reading
William Hendrie Biography
William Hendrie one of the rst to be Inducted into Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame 1976
Hamilton Historical Board - Sports History Pages 4 & 5
Dedication Plaque - Photo Top
This park is given to the citizens of Hamilton by George M Hendrie in memory of his father William Hendrie and his brothers Sir John S Hendrie, James W Hendrie, Colonel William Hendrie, Murray Hendrie September 29, 1931
The Hendrie Gates - Photo Previous Page
In 1931, the Hendrie family retained Frederick Flatman to design and construct these wrought iron gates patterned after “The Backs” at Trinity College, Cambridge, England. Built to mark the entrance to William Hendrie’s farm. The Gates were fabricated using Swedish steel. They are a unique example of the ironworker’s art.
Thoroughbred Highlight - Page 13 - March 2017