Articles

The Waterloo Region of Ontario in Central Canada is rich in history and culture, much of it comes directly from its original European settlers - a number of Mennonite families who migrated from Pennsylvania in the early 1800s. In more recent years the cultural diversity of the Waterloo region has been shaped by immigration from all corners of the globe. This immigration is due in no small part to the prosperous, diverse economic activity of the region and the presence of two highly respected Universities.

From 1800 to 1803, Swiss Mennonite pioneers came from Pennsylvania to the Waterloo area where they found lush, fertile land to settle on and to farm along the banks of the Grand River. The Waterloo Pioneer Memorial Tower monument was built in 1923 to commemorate these first pioneers. Located near the little town of Doon just east of the Grand, the tower spire has the distinctive Swiss architecture representative of the original settlers' cultural background..

At Doon Heritage Crossroads you can explore Waterloo County as it was in 1914. Come back to see what businesses, homes and farms were like and how people went about their daily lives.

The Joseph Schneider Haus Museum and Gallery displays the life of the region in the mid 1800s. It was the home built by Joseph Schneider and his wife Barbara, two of the original Mennonite pioneers who came from Pennsylvania's Lancaster County at the turn of the 19th Century.

The artist Homer Watson was well-respected in his local area of the Waterloo Region. He was often referred to as the "Man of Doon" because he lived and worked in Doon. Watson's studio has been preserved at the Homer Watson House and Gallery and people may take art classes or workshops there. The gallery also hosts an exhibition of contemporary art.

Canada's 10th and longest serving Prime Minister was William Lyon Mackenzie King who was born in Berlin in 1874 (before its name was changed to Kitchener during WW1). His boyhood home at Woodside National Historic Site has been restored to the beauty of the early 1890's on 4.65 hectares of land.

Castle Kilbride was built in Baden in 1877 by James Livingston and named after his birthplace in Scotland. Seen from the road it dominates its surroundings with its clean Italianate design capped by a towering belvedere. Its attractive external appearance, however, is overshadowed by its amazing interior decor, which in its own right classifies it as artistry of international significance.