Awe. Wonder. Amazement. These are the emotions that you feel when you see or experience something beautiful, something that takes you out of the present and thrusts you into the shoes of someone living nearly 200 years ago.
Students know Waterloo as a modern university town with irritating construction blockages, identical high-rise apartment buildings and caffeine-obsessed young adults. But very few of us acknowledge the pieces of history that continue to sit amongst the chaos of our everyday lives, the buildings that existed before industrialization fully hit the place we call home.
If you’re so inclined, feel free to walk the path of this short little guide to discovering the often-overlooked history of Waterloo (I mapped it out accordingly).
Hidden within the vast expanse of the University of Waterloo campus, there lies a little restored farmhouse dating from 1850, originally built by German Mennonites (brief history lesson: Mennonites are a Christian, Anabaptist denomination with a prevalent population in Waterloo after first arriving in the late 19th century). Although the museum portion of the building is currently closed, this is a beautiful site and an important piece of Mennonite culture and history.
Currently residing in Waterloo Park, this quaint log schoolhouse is the only one of its kind in the city. The 223-year-old building was originally built across from where MacGregor Public School now stands on Central Street but has since been moved and restored as an important civic monument.
If you’ve ever passed Caroline Street South after stopping by the LCBO or rushing to catch the ION, you’ve probably also noticed the massive building that grandly announces “Seagram Distillers” on its main façade. Initially constructed in 1851, the former whisky distillery supported one of Waterloo’s main industries until it closed in 1992. Even now, the Seagram name remains one of much meaning in our community.
First of all, if you haven’t visited the Huether for a coffee or an alcoholic beverage yet, shame on you! Not only is it a cozy spot in its current time, but the Huether was also a frequented inn and brewery when it was run as such beginning back in the 1840s. Although it has had many owners over the years, the building is now named after Christopher Huether, who in the mid-late 19th century added an elaborate tower and balconies to the dear hotel.
And here we come to the last stop of our tour with the best title on the list (feel free to chuckle at this silly Mennonite name – my family is Mennonite, so I’m allowed to say that). The Erb-Kumpf house was built around 1812 by the founder of Waterloo, Abraham Erb, and is considered one of the oldest homes in the city. It’s been developed many times over the years, but the home still retains its historical grandeur and municipal value.
Regardless of whether you want to spend an hour walking around Waterloo or if you have a spare five minutes before your grocery shopping, it’s worthwhile to stop by at least one of these important places. If we stop thinking that our city is so boring, it’s easy to find the wonders of history all around us.