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80-508: The Doon Heritage Village is open seasonally from May to December. The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum is open daily throughout the year, while the village is not open weekends in September, October and November. Currently Doon Heritage Village is closed for renovations that will strengthen historic infrastructure for generations to come. It is slated to reopen in 2025. The Doon Heritage Village recreates life in rural Waterloo County during

160-477: A "Toronto and Lake Huron Railway" was made in August, which was intended to pass through the townships of Dumfries and Waterloo. However, an economic crisis in 1837 delayed railway development, and it wouldn't be until the railway fever of the 1840s that new proposals would emerge. John Eby, druggist and chemist, arrived from Pennsylvania in about 1820 and opened a shop to the west of what would later be Eby Street. At

240-571: A 1946 letter to Alice Johannsen Turham of the McGill University Museums, Harry O. McCurry of the National Gallery of Canada explained: As you know I have always felt that a Canadian Museums Association is essential to the proper development of a Canadian museum service and I hope you feel the same way. I was astonished to hear from one prominent curator, that he thought we ought not to form an association of our own but to link up with

320-496: A House of Industry and Refuge, agricultural societies and local markets. The Grand Trunk Railway reached Berlin in 1856 and that accelerated the growth of industry. In the next decade factories and the homes of labourers and wealthy owners replaced the early settlers' log houses. A rail line did not reach St. Jacobs or Elmira until 1891. The Grand Trunk and the Canadian Pacific railways provided useful transportation and as

400-790: A continuing improvement in the qualifications and practices of museum professionals. It is a registered charity, and administers the funds of the former Museums Foundation of Canada, a separate charity that wrapped up in 2020. The CMA is governed by an elected Board of Directors and maintains a full-service Secretariat in Ottawa. Since its founding, CMA has had eleven executive directors: CMA publishes its bilingual bimonthly Muse magazine and offers its members services such as advocacy on broad public policy, an insurance program and awards, among other services. The association regularly appears before parliamentary committees on issues of heritage. CMA also hosts Canadian Museums Day on Parliament Hill to celebrate

480-554: A direct route to urban centres near Lake Ontario, although it was over a difficult track which passed through many swamps. This "Beverley Road" was the predecessor to the later Highway 8 . Before commercial mills were constructed in the Waterloo area, settlers had to bring their grain in wagons along the road to Dundas to be milled. By the 1830s, the government had adopted a new strategy: the creation of toll roads maintained by private companies. The first such company, incorporated in 1829,

560-639: A farm near what would become the village of Blair. The homes built by the next generation of these families still stand as of March 2021, on what is now Pioneer Tower Road in Kitchener, and have been listed as historically important; the John Betzner homestead (restored) and the David Schoerg farmstead (not yet restored) were erected circa 1830. The German Company, represented by Daniel Erb and Samuel Bricker, had gotten into financial difficulties after buying

640-523: A metric called the "functional unit" is sometimes used as a measure for the complexity of a settlement. A functional unit is a measure of a type of economic activity, such as milling, banking, or retailing. A single establishment could contain multiple functional units; one example, common in pioneer settlements, is the general store/post office, which would constitute two functional units. For Waterloo County, statistics on functional units are possible for 1864 onward using contemporary data sources. In 1864, Galt

720-502: A point on the Grand River near where Paris would later be founded, using a road cut through the wilderness the previous year by two Englishmen named Ward and Smith. They then followed the Grand River northward. Joseph Schoerg and his wife settled on Lot 11, B.F. Beasley Block, S.R., on the bank of the Grand River opposite Doon, and Betzner and his wife settled on the west bank of the Grand, on

800-544: A result, furniture manufacturing and other industries began to open in Elmira. After about 1850, settlers direct from Germany began arriving to all parts of the county, including Woolwich Township. Waterloo was incorporated as a village in 1857 and became the Town of Waterloo in 1876 and the City of Waterloo in 1948. The population was 38,750 by 1861. In 1864, there were two grammar schools in

880-420: A small parcel of land he owned (at the current Queen and Weber streets), this secured the county seat for Berlin. The courthouse at the corner of the later Queen Street North and Weber Street and the county gaol were built within a few months. The first county council meeting was held in the new building on 24 January 1853, as the county officially began operations. The new county council included 12 members from

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960-409: A store was opened. At the time, the settlement of Berlin was still considered to be a hamlet. By 1830 the village of Preston was a thriving business centre with Jacob Hespeler , a native of Württemberg and a prominent citizen. He would later move to the village of New Hope that was renamed Hespeler in 1857 in recognition of his public service and the industries he started there. Jacob Beck from

1040-475: Is affiliated with: CMA Canadian Museums Association , CHIN , and Virtual Museum of Canada , OMA Ontario Museum Association, ALHFAM (Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums), AAM ( American Alliance of Museums ) and many other professional, marketing and trade associations. Official website 43°24′07″N 80°26′17″W  /  43.402°N 80.438°W  / 43.402; -80.438 Waterloo County Waterloo County

1120-576: Is located on the second floor exhibit gallery of What Makes Us Who We Are? in the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum. The Hall of Fame annually recognizes individuals and groups that have brought recognition of themselves and the community. More than 450 individuals, groups and sports teams have been inducted into the Hall since it opened in 1972. The Waterloo Region Curatorial Centre is a 35,500 square foot preservation facility that supports

1200-671: Is now a part of Kitchener) by Joseph Schoerg (later called Sherk) and Samuel Betzner, Jr. (brothers-in-law), Mennonites , from Franklin County, Pennsylvania . At the time, the upper part of the Grand River Valley was considered deep in the wilderness, and was difficult to penetrate into with wagons due a lack of roads. One Waterloo County historian, W. H. Breithaupt, believed that Schoerg and Betzner, after arriving in Upper Canada, travelled from Ancaster westward through Beverley Township to

1280-460: Is set in 1914, in World War I . Living history programs bring to life the first 14 years of the 1900s. Hands-on activities take place throughout the year including vintage games, making ice cream and historic crafts led by costumed teacher/interpreters. Seasonal special events and programs are held throughout the village's eight-month season from May through December. The Waterloo Region Hall of Fame

1360-523: Is the largest community museum in Ontario. The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum is a 47,000 square foot museum, designed by Moriyama + Teshima Architects, Toronto. It is the first LEED certified (Silver) museum in Canada. The museum includes two exhibit galleries. The long term exhibit, What Makes Us Who We Are?, explores 12,000 years of the history and development of Waterloo Region, from First Peoples through

1440-580: The American Revolution . The area was from Lake Erie to the Elora falls, and the width being six miles on each side of the river. The First Nations soon offered almost half of the upper area for sale. It was divided into four blocks. Blocks 1, 2 and 3 were sold by 1816; this large area became the townships of Waterloo, Woolwich and Dumfries. The western part of this area was initially settled by Mennonites of German extraction from Pennsylvania; most settled

1520-673: The Canada Company headquartered in Guelph. Galt was a friend of William Dickson. During and shortly after the War of 1812 , government expenditures on roads increased dramatically, leading to the improvement and extension of a number of roads in Upper Canada. By 1819, a new road had been constructed, which ran diagonally across Beverley Township from Dundas to Galt. The new road gave pioneers in Dumfries Township (and by extension, Waterloo Township)

1600-625: The Galt, Preston and Hespeler Street Railway after a branch line was built which connected Preston and Hespeler along the east bank of the Speed River . This system hosted not just passengers and mail, but also full carload freight . In 1904, the railway's Galt–Preston mainline was effectively extended with the construction of the Preston and Berlin Street Railway which, despite its name, took on many of

1680-583: The Lake Erie and Northern Railway , a more modern successor to the Grand Valley Railway which opened in 1916. Taken as a sum, these interurban lines created direct rail connections between Waterloo County, Brant County , and Norfolk County , as well as freight interchange with significant Canadian National Railway , Canadian Pacific Railway , and Michigan Central Railroad lines and intercity stations. In fact, both lines were indirectly controlled by

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1760-586: The Toronto Star explains that "pauperism was considered a moral failing that could be erased through order and hard work". A research project by the Laurier School of Social Work has amassed all available data about the House and its former residents, digitized it and made the archive available on-line at WaterlooHouseOfRefuge.ca. According to Sandy Hoy, a director of research projects, the "inmates" included not only

1840-428: The 1830s to 1850s, bringing with them their language, religion and cultural traditions. Waterloo County soon became recognized throughout Canada for their Germanic heritage. The German community became industrial and political leaders, and created a German-Canadian society unlike any other found in Canada at the time. They established German public schools and German language churches. Both the immigrants from Germany and

1920-401: The 20th century under Kitchener Public Utilities Commission management as it had in the 19th century, until its eventual shutdown in 1946. By the turn of the 20th century, interurban railways had begun to spread throughout North America. These were a natural evolution from street railways, but represented a more substantial commitment to regional rail infrastructure. The Grand River Railway

2000-623: The British Isles and directly from Germany, producing a mix of cultures. The first school opened in 1802 near the village of Blair, then known as Shinglebridge and now part of Cambridge, Ontario . The first teacher's name was Mr. Rittenhaus. By the early 1800s, a corduroy road had been built along what is now King Street in Waterloo; its remains were unearthed in 2016. The road was probably built by Mennonites using technology acquired in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, between

2080-642: The Canadian Pacific Railway, and starting in 1931, they were managed together as a single entity known as the Canadian Pacific Electric Lines. Ridership on passenger trips declined, and services began to be cut starting in the late 1930s with the cancellation of trips to Waterloo, though the system had a brief swan song in ridership during the Second World War. Regular passenger service ended in 1955. Freight service continued, though

2160-645: The Department of Canadian Heritage granted the CMA $ 680,948 to produce a report and recommendations on the implementation of UNDRIP within Canadian museums. The CMA published its report, Moved to Action: Activating UNDRIP in Canadian Museums , in 2022. The CMA is a federally incorporated nonprofit association which advances public museum services in Canada, promotes the welfare and a better administration of museums and fosters

2240-668: The German Company from Richard Beasley who had acquired a massive territory. The tract had originally been purchased from the Six Nations Indians by the British Crown in 1784; it was acquired in 1798 by Richard Beasley and two partners who decided to resell land, in smaller parcels. The Tract included most of Block 2 of the previous Grand River Indian Lands . Many of the first farms were least four hundred acres in size. At this time, many Mississauga people still frequented

2320-412: The German Company; (this would later be part of Waterloo Township). He built a sawmill in 1808 and a gristmill in 1816; the latter operated continuously for 111 years. Other early settlers of what would become Waterloo included Samuel and Elia Schneider who arrived in 1816. Until about 1820, settlements such as this were quite small. By 1804, the cemetery in the village of Blair (now part of Cambridge)

2400-767: The Grand Duchy of Baden founded the village of Baden in Wilmot Township and started a foundry and machine shop. Jacob Beck was the father of Sir Adam Beck . The first newspaper of the county (first issue dated August 27, 1835) was the Canada Museum und Allgemeine Zeitung, printed mostly in German and partly in English. It was published for only five years. The land which now makes up the township of Woolwich , including communities such as St. Jacobs and Elmira , were first settled in

2480-408: The House of Industry and Refuge that accommodated some 3,200 people before being closed down in 1951; the building was subsequently demolished. It was located on Frederick St. in Kitchener, behind the now Frederick Street Mall and was intended to minimize the number of people begging, living on the streets or being incarcerated at a time before social welfare programmes became available. A 2009 report by

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2560-543: The Indians were very numerous and if kindly treated would never injure anyone," noting that "perhaps these men did inadvertently displease the Indians." The majority of the settlers of the Lower Block along the Grand River (including areas such as the current Freeport and Hespeler) were also Mennonites from Pennsylvania often called Pennsylvania Dutch although they were actually Deutsch or Deitsch, German. Others immigrated from

2640-468: The Lower Block of Block Two. In 1835, approximately 70% of the population was Mennonite but by 1851, only 26% of the much larger population were of this religion. This was due to the large wave of new German migrants from Europe, particularly between 1830 and 1850. The Wellington District and Waterloo County were formed in June 1840 from territory transferred from certain other districts: The district town

2720-489: The Mennonites from Pennsylvania spoke German of course, though with different dialects such as Low German or the incorrectly called Pennsylvania Dutch , actually Pennsilfaanisch Deitsch (German). (This dialect is different from Standard German with a simplified grammatical structure, some differences in vocabulary and pronunciation and a greater influence of English.) The combination of various types of German-speaking groups

2800-544: The Region of Waterloo Curatorial Centre, located on the museum's property. Tivy, Mary. The Local History Museum In Ontario: An Intellectual History, 1851-1985. PhD Thesis, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, 2006. Region of Waterloo. History's Home for 40 Years - Doon Heritage Crossroads, 1957-1997. Region of Waterloo, Kitchener, Ontario, 1997. Region of Waterloo. Doon Heritage Crossroads Visitor Guide. Region of Waterloo, Kitchener, Ontario, 1993 (revised 2005). The museum

2880-844: The Regional Municipality. Waterloo County was once one of the most densely wooded sections in North America. Oak trees three to four feet in diameter, maple, beech, elm, ash oak and great pines were common. The county, located in the northerly edge of Attawandaron land, was excellent for hunting and fishing. In 1784, by way of the Haldimand Proclamation , the British Government granted the Grand River valley to Iroquois confederation refugees from central and western New York State, indigenous peoples who served as allies during

2960-586: The Secretary of State on 10 September 1947. Founding members and their institutions (at the time): In addition to the above, eight more observers were present at the founding event and are recognized as founding members (as opposed to delegates). The 1988 controversy surrounding The Spirit Sings exhibition at the Glenbow Museum led to the creation of a task force to assess and address issues of Indigenous involvement in museums, access to museum collections and

3040-655: The U.S.A. I am all for most cordial cooperation with the American Museums Association in every way but we need an organization of our own to deal with problems which are particularly Canadian. A small group of representatives from 13 museums met in Quebec City, QC, during the 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Museums (now the American Alliance of Museums). It was granted a charter by

3120-471: The area that would become Kitchener, St. Jacobs, Elmira and surroundings. The southern part (now Cambridge) – as well as areas that would become Fergus and Elora, just outside Waterloo County – were settled by Scots. Except for grist, woolen and saw mills, there was little industry in any of these area until about 1870. Settlement of the what later became the Township of Waterloo started in 1800 (in an area that

3200-854: The area. Recorded history documents that the relationship between the Mississaugas and early settlers could sometimes be strained. In one case, a John Erb (likely the same John Erb who built the first mills at Preston ) was shot and wounded by a Mississauga man in Haldimand County in 1804. Ezra E. Eby, whose history of Waterloo Township was based on oral family histories of early settlers as well as written history, highlights positive social relationships between early settlers and indigenous people, describing frequent trade between them, that settlers' children and indigenous children would play together, and that indigenous people would sometimes stay overnight in settlers' houses. However, in one surviving document from

3280-542: The characteristics of an interurban. It featured two new freight yards , one in Berlin and one in Waterloo. These systems were gradually consolidated over several years and by 1914, they were known under the unified name of the Grand River Railway , which dispensed with street railway nomenclature. The Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway, in contrast, never lost its street railway traits and continued to operate similarly in

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3360-799: The contributions of museums to society. Since 1996, the association administers for the Department of Canadian Heritage the Young Canada Works program which provides funds for the hiring of summer students and interns in museums in order for them to obtain experience in the heritage field. It also offers large national conferences each year in various locations across Canada (Ottawa 2017 and Vancouver 2018) as well as specialized conferences on museum issues, such as Museum Traveling Exhibitions, Deaccessioning Standards, Art and Law symposium, Museum Enterprises Conference, Future of Exhibition Design Symposium, etc. The CMA has both formal and informal partnerships with organizations relating to arts and heritage across

3440-459: The county entered an era described by the geographer Fred Dahms as one of "competition and centralization". Between 1871 and 1881, the rural population decreased while the urban share of total population increased by nearly 30%, despite a total population growth of only 6.2%. The total number of settlements with functional units increased between 1864 and 1881, reaching an all-time peak of 44, and communities were widely dispersed. The result of this

3520-404: The county, at Galt and Berlin, three Roman Catholic Separate Schools in the township of Wellesley, and two others in the township of Wilmot. By 1871, the largest ethnic groups in the county were Scots (18 per cent of the population), Irish (8 per cent), English (12.6 per cent), and German. At that time, those with German roots (direct from Europe or from Pennsylvania) made up nearly 55 per cent of

3600-410: The development of the "streetcar strip" – highly developed urban commercial corridors – in contrast with older downtowns, which were usually less linear in form. With King Street already dominant as a linear commercial corridor, it was natural that early street railway development would connect two of the county's urban centres (Berlin and Waterloo) along this established route. This came about in 1888 in

3680-520: The early 1800s. The early settlers were primarily from England or Ireland but after 1830, Mennonites from Pennsylvania formed a significant proportion of the population. The area still retains much of its traditional character. Old Order Mennonites can still be seen on the local roads using their traditional horse and buggy transportation. By 1835, many immigrants to Waterloo County were not from Pennsylvania. Many settler came from England, Ireland, Scotland and Germany to areas such as New Germany in

3760-474: The five townships and two villages; Doctor John Scott was appointed as the first warden (reeve). Though the courthouse has since been replaced with a modern structure, the gaol and adjacent governor's house remain to this day under historical designation; they have been repurposed for further legal capacities (courtrooms and prosecutors' offices). In the following years, various County institutions and facilities would be created, including roads and bridges, schools,

3840-474: The form of the Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway . It initially started operations with horsecar service before later owners electrified the line and began using electric streetcars . The next street railway system to be constructed in the county was the Galt and Preston Street Railway in 1894, which, similarly to the Berlin and Waterloo, connected the existing urban centres of Galt and Preston. It soon became

3920-432: The high tech sector of the early 21st century. A short term exhibit gallery is used for exhibits mounted by the museum from its own collection, and traveling exhibits from other museums on a variety of topics. The museum includes public amenities such as a gift shop, the 114 seat Christie Theatre, classrooms, outdoor patio/picnic space, and Hazels - a snack bar/cafe. The museum is open year round. The Doon Heritage Village

4000-626: The history of Kitchener, Joseph Schneider of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (son of immigrants from southern Germany) bought lot 17 of the German Company Tract of block 2 in 1806. While farming, he helped to build what became "Schneider's Road" and by 1816 built a sawmill. Years later, Schneider and Phineas Varnum would help form the commercial centre of Ebytown. The War of 1812 interrupted settlement. The Mennonite settlers refused to carry arms so were employed in non-combatant roles in camps and hospital and as teamsters in transport service during

4080-574: The interpretation of artifacts and human remains. In 1992, CMA, in partnership with the Assembly of First Nations , published the report Turning The Page with recommendations on repatriation of human remains and sacred objects to indigenous communities. In 2015, CMA was named in Calls to Action 67 and 68 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to undertake special roles in the reconciliation process. In 2018,

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4160-462: The land in 1796 from Joseph Brant who represented the Six Nations . The payment to Beasly, in cash, arrived from Pennsylvania in kegs, carried in a wagon surrounded by armed guards. Other settlers followed mostly from Pennsylvania typically by Conestoga wagons . Many of the pioneers arriving from Pennsylvania after November 1803 bought land in a 60,000-acre (240 km ) section of Block Two from

4240-443: The late 1790s and 1816. The log road was buried in about 1840 and a new road built on top of it. A historian explained that the road had been built for access to the mill but was also "one of the first roads cut through (the woods) so people could start settling the area". Later declared the founder of the city of Waterloo, Abraham Erb, a German Mennonite from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, bought 900 acres of bush land in 1806 from

4320-665: The line was extensively relocated to make room for highway expansion in south Kitchener during the 1960s. While German-speaking settlers from Pennsylvania were the most numerous until about 1840, a few Germans from Europe began arriving in as 1819, including Friedrich Gaukel , a hotel keeper, being one of the firsts. He would build what later became the Walper House in Berlin. Two streets in present-day Kitchener, Frederick and Gaukel streets, are named after him. Other German-speaking immigrants from Europe arrived in Waterloo County during

4400-609: The nearby Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, which opened in 2010, are owned and operated by the Regional Municipality of Waterloo . Construction of the new Waterloo Region Museum began in late 2007. The museum is located at the entrance to Doon Heritage Village and the building opened on May 1, 2010. The museum and exhibits were officially opened in November 2011. In November 2018 the Waterloo Region Museum campus

4480-399: The nucleus of Berlin. The home was renovated over a century later and still stands. The village centre of what would become Berlin (and later, Kitchener) was established in 1830 by Phineas Varnum who leased land from Joseph Schneider and opened a blacksmith shop on the site where a hotel would be built many years later, the Walper House. A tavern was also established here at the same time and

4560-478: The period, a group of settlers in "Beasley's Township" (the name used before Waterloo Township was adopted) petitioned the Upper Canada legislature in 1808 to ban the sale of spirits to indigenous people, citing social disorder and "bad behaviour" including the shooting of another settler. Another, later historian, Angus S. Bauman, points out in his own history that Ezra Eby may have been aware of these incidents, highlighting Eby's comment that "[i]n those early times

4640-404: The poor nearby, including "inmates" of the House who had died. Although railways had arrived in Waterloo County in the 1850s, street railways only arrived several decades later. Urban railways offered a number of advantages to developing communities, but required a serious infrastructure investment which often fell to local municipalities or private businessmen. Street railways tended to lead to

4720-483: The poor, "but folks with disabilities, women, children. Some were single women who had been servants and became pregnant; in fact, many were single mothers of all types. The archives also indicate that in addition to food and shelter for "inmates", in return for labour in the house and on the attached farm, the House also donated food, clothing and money for train tickets to enable the poor to reach family that might be able to support them. There were also two cemeteries for

4800-494: The population count was 4424. In 1846 the village of Waterloo had a population of 200, "mostly Germans". There was a grist mill and a sawmill and some tradesmen. Berlin (Kitchener) had a population of about 400, also "mostly German", and more tradesmen than the village of Waterloo. At the beginning of 1852, the County was divided into three, forming the United Counties of Wellington, Waterloo and Grey: The County of Waterloo

4880-469: The population. That was much higher than the 10 percent typical in the rest of Ontario. The first hospital in Waterloo County opened in 1890 as Galt General Hospital. Additional buildings and facilities were added in the early 1900s. By 1918, the facility had an X-ray room, a 27-room nurses' residence and was also a nurse training school. By 1911, there were nearly three times as many Lutherans as Mennonites in that area, for example. In urban studies ,

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4960-688: The promotion of museums in Canada. It represents Canadian museum professionals both within Canada and internationally. As with most trade associations , it aims to improve the recognition, growth and stability of its constituency. Its staff supports their nearly 2,000 members with conferences, publications, and networking opportunities. CMA members include national museums, non-profit museums, art galleries , science centres, aquariums, archives, sport halls-of-fame, artist-run centres, zoos and historic sites across Canada. They range from large metropolitan galleries to small community museums. All are dedicated to preserving and presenting Canada's cultural heritage to

5040-508: The public. In 1932, British Museums Association President Sir Henry Miers visited museums in Canada and found them "in a deplorable state and far behind those of the United States and most European countries." According to notes later left in CMA bylaws, the intention had been to form an association in the 1930s, but this was delayed because of the Second World War. Following the war, the idea for an association began to gain popularity. In

5120-529: The time, it was common for settlers to form a building "bee" to help newcomers erect a long home. Immigration from Lancaster county continued heavily in the 1820s because of a severe agricultural depression in Lancaster County. Joseph Schneider also settled in that area and built a frame house in 1820 on the south side of the future Queen Street after clearing a farm and creating a rough road. A small settlement formed around "Schneider's Road" which later became

5200-459: The war. William Dickson of Niagara purchased land in the township of North Dumfries and South Dumfries. With his land agent, Absolom Shade, he located a town site on the Grand River. Settlers were attracted, largely from Scotland with the price of land being about four dollars an acre. Years later (1827), this village would be named Galt for John Galt , the British author and then Superintendent of

5280-631: The work of the museums owned and operated by the Region of Waterloo. Facilities include artifact storage, two conservation labs, an exhibit design studio, exhibit fabrication workshop, library and archives. The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum collection supports the 1914 living history village but also includes the Region of Waterloo’s local history collection, spanning from prehistory to the present day. The core collection numbers more than 50,000 artifacts and archival pieces; archaeological collections from across Waterloo Region number many hundreds of thousands of artifacts. Research collections are stored in

5360-857: The year 1914. It has more than 22 buildings on more than 24 hectares (60 acres). Some of these are restored buildings donated and relocated from across Waterloo Region and south-central Ontario, and some are reconstructions based on original buildings. Buildings in the living history village include the Grand Trunk Railway 's Petersburg station , Peter Martin House, Wagon Drive Shed and Barns, Detweiler Weavery, Dry Goods and Grocery Store, Harness Shop, Tailor Shop, Post Office, Sawmill, Blacksmith Shop, Meat Market, Repair Shop, Peter McArthur House, Seibert House, Sararas House, Bricker Barn, Freeport United Brethren in Christ Church, and Fire Hall. The Doon Heritage Village, which has been in operation since 1957, and

5440-404: Was Guelph . Records indicate a population of 13,782 in 1841. The Smith's Canadian Gazetteer of 1846 states that the Township of Waterloo (smaller than Waterloo County) consisted primarily of Pennsylvanian Mennonites and immigrants directly from Germany who had brought money with them. At the time, many did not speak English. There were eight grist and twenty saw mills in the township. In 1841,

5520-955: Was a county in Canada West in the United Province of Canada from 1853 until 1867, then in the Canadian province of Ontario from 1867 until 1973. It was the direct predecessor of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo . Situated on a subset of land within the Haldimand Tract , Waterloo County consisted of five townships: Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot, Waterloo, and North Dumfries. The major population centres were Waterloo, Kitchener ( known as Berlin prior to 1916 ), Preston, Hespeler, Blair, and Doon in Waterloo township; Galt in North Dumfries; Elmira in Woolwich; and New Hamburg in Wilmot. All are now part of

5600-422: Was a notable factor in the history of Waterloo County. The two groups of Germanics were able to understand each other quite easily and there was no apparent conflict between the Germans from Europe and those who came from Pennsylvania. Canadian Museums Association The Canadian Museums Association ( CMA ; French : Association des musées canadiens , AMC ), is a national non-profit organization for

5680-504: Was already in use. The next cemetery to be started is the one next to Pioneer Tower in Doon ; the first recorded burial at that location was in 1806. The cemetery at First Mennonite church at 800 King St. East in Kitchener is not as old, but contains the graves of some notable citizens, including Bishop Benjamin Eby who died in 1853, Joseph Schneider, and Rev. Joseph Cramer, founder of the House of Friendship social service agency. In 1807, 45,195 acres (182.90 km ) of Block 3 (Woolwich)

5760-549: Was also responsible for the growth of the Mennonite church in Waterloo County; he built the first church in 1813.) Abram Weber settled on the corner of what would become King and Wilmot Streets and David Weber in the area of the much later Grand Trunk Railway station. Benjamin Eby encouraged manufacturers to move to the village. Jacob Hoffman came in 1829 or 1830 and started the first furniture factory. Almost as important as Benjamin Eby in

5840-548: Was authorized two years later, in 1839, for macadamization . The earliest recorded proposal for a railway in Waterloo County was in January 1836; at the time, no public railways existed in Canada, as the first, the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad , was still under construction and would only open later that year. This first proposal was for a long-distance route from Dundas to Goderich, going through Preston. A similar proposal for

5920-633: Was clearly at the top of the county's urban hierarchy, with 23% of all functional units, while Berlin had only 14%. Waterloo, Preston, Ayr, and New Hamburg all followed with between 6% and 10% each; no other community in the county had more than 3.41% of the county's functional units. By 1871, Galt still held the lead, but several small and mid-sized settlements in the county had dramatically increased in total number of functional units, overtaking others. In particular, New Hamburg, Elmira, and Ayr pulled ahead of Preston, while St. Jacobs and Hespeler more than doubled and tripled respectively. From 1871 to 1881,

6000-562: Was noted by rail historian John M. Mills as one of the earliest interurbans in Canada, and "for many years one of the most energetic and progressive." While plans for a northern extension of the mainline never resulted in new construction, a succession of lines provided connections to the south. These were the Grand Valley Railway , built as an extension of the Brantford Street Railway and extended north to Galt in 1903, and

6080-431: Was numerous hamlets with one or two functional units (often a hotel, general store, or smithy) which had developed at road intersections, and a road system which allowed anyone with access to a horse and carriage the easy ability to return from a day trip. Economic functions, however, had already begun to centralize amongst a handful of major settlements. In 1869, the County built a large poorhouse with an attached farm,

6160-463: Was purchased by Pennsylvanians John Erb, Jacob Erb and others. Later named the founder of Kitchener, Benjamin Eby (made Mennonite preacher 1809, and bishop in 1812) arrived from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1806 and purchased a very large tract of land consisting of much of what would become the village of Berlin (named about 1830). The settlement was initially called Ebytown and was at the south-east side of what would later become Queen Street. (Eby

6240-662: Was renamed the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum in recognition of retiring Regional Chair Ken Seiling - honouring his 33 years serving as Regional Chair. The museum was designed by Moriyama + Teshima Architects. Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum is a campus of historical attractions and preservation facilities, including the Doon Heritage Village, the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame, and the Waterloo Region Curatorial Centre. The campus of facilities

6320-510: Was the Dundas and Waterloo Turnpike Company. It had a capitalization of CA£ 25,000, almost double the government's expenditure on roads the following year, and was committed to improve and maintain the Galt–Dundas road to a width of 30 feet (9.1 m). Despite these funds, the company struggled financially, and a debenture of another £25,000 was requested and authorized in 1837. A further £8,000

6400-439: Was withdrawn from the United Counties in January 1853. There had been some contentious debate between Galt and Berlin (later, Kitchener) as to where the county seat would be located. At the time, Berlin was a hamlet with a population of only 700, as opposed to Galt's population of 2,200. one of the requirements for founding was the construction of a courthouse and jail. When the local Berlin hotelier Friedrich Gaukel donated

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