Dr. James Naismith 1861-1939

Photo by Alan L Brown - June 25, 2004

Plaque Location

The County of Lanark
The Town of Mississippi Mills
On the NE corner of County Road 29 and Clayton Road, 3 km north of County Road 16, street number 4968

Plaque Text

This is the boyhood home of James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. Born in a house which formerly stood on this lot, he entered McGill University in 1883 where he was active in athletics. In 1890 Naismith graduated in theology from Presbyterian College, Montreal and subsequently enrolled at the International Y.M.C.A. Training School (now Springfield College) in Massachusetts. There was a need for a competitive team sport that could be played indoors during the winter months, and, there, in December 1891, Naismith devised a game, played under thirteen basic rules, with a ball and two round baskets. He directed physical education at the University of Kansas for thirty-six years and died at Lawrence, Kansas.

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