Doon Heritage Village facts for kids

View of some of the living history buildings.

The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum is a fun place to learn about history! It's a big museum and a special village called Doon Heritage Village. You can find them in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

The Doon Heritage Village is like a time machine. It shows you what life was like in the Waterloo Region way back in 1914. This was just before World War I started. The village is usually open from May to December. Right now, it's getting some upgrades and will reopen in 2025.

The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum is open all year round. Both the museum and the village are owned and run by the local government, the Regional Municipality of Waterloo.

Discover the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum

The main museum building is called the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum. It opened its doors in 2010. In 2018, it was named after Ken Seiling, who was a leader in the region for many years.

This museum is huge! It's the largest community museum in Ontario. It's also a "green" building, which means it was built to save energy. It was the first museum in Canada to get a special "LEED Silver" award for being environmentally friendly.

What You'll Find Inside the Museum

The museum has two main areas for exhibits. One area has a long-term exhibit called "What Makes Us Who We Are?". This exhibit takes you on a journey through 12,000 years of history in the Waterloo Region. You'll learn about the first people who lived there and how the area grew into a high-tech hub.

The other exhibit area changes often. It shows different exhibits from the museum's own collection or special exhibits from other museums. The museum also has a gift shop, a theatre, classrooms, and a snack bar.

Step Back in Time at Doon Heritage Village

The Doon Heritage Village is a large outdoor area with more than 22 historic buildings. These buildings show what rural life was like in 1914. Some buildings were moved here from other places in the region. Others were rebuilt to look just like original ones.

What You'll See in the Village

When you visit the village, you can explore many old buildings. These include a train station, houses, a general store, a blacksmith shop, and even a church. You might see:

• The old Grand Trunk Railway's Petersburg station
• The Peter Martin House
• A Dry Goods and Grocery Store
• A Blacksmith Shop
• The Freeport United Brethren in Christ Church
• And many more!

Programs and Fun Activities

Both the museum and the village offer exciting programs. In the Doon Heritage Village, people dressed in old-fashioned clothes bring history to life. You can try hands-on activities like playing vintage games, making ice cream, or doing historic crafts. There are also special events throughout the year.

The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum is also home to the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame. This Hall of Fame celebrates people and groups who have done amazing things and brought recognition to the community. Over 450 people and teams have been honored since 1972.

The museum also has a special building called the Waterloo Region Curatorial Centre. This is where they store and take care of all the museum's historical items. It has labs for preserving artifacts and workshops for designing exhibits.

How It All Started: A Brief History

The idea for a pioneer village in Waterloo County began in the 1950s.

• 1952: A doctor named A.E. Dusty Broome visited a similar museum in the Netherlands. He thought Waterloo County should have one too!
• 1953: The Waterloo Historical Society supported the idea.
• 1956: Land was bought for the village.
• 1957: Doon Pioneer Village officially opened on June 19 with a big barn raising event.
• 1960s: More buildings were added, like a general store and a church. A CPR train engine was also moved to the village.
• 1970s: The Waterloo County Hall of Fame was opened at the village. Electricity was installed.
• 1983: The Regional Municipality of Waterloo took over running the village.
• 1985: The village's name changed to Doon Heritage Crossroads. Its focus became showing life in 1914.
• 1990s: Farm animals were brought in, and a heritage garden program started. A new building for storing artifacts opened.
• 2000s: More buildings were restored or recreated, like the blacksmith shop. The village celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2007. Its name changed again to Doon Heritage Village in 2009.
• 2010: The new Waterloo Region Museum building opened.
• 2011: The museum officially opened all its exhibits, including the "What Makes Us Who We Are?" exhibit.
• 2018: The museum was renamed the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum.

Museum Collections

The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum has a huge collection of items! It supports the 1914 village and also has items from all of Waterloo Region's history, from ancient times to today. There are over 50,000 artifacts and historical documents. Plus, there are hundreds of thousands of archaeological items found in the region. These items are carefully stored at the Curatorial Centre.

Museum Connections

The museum works with many other groups and organizations. These include the Canadian Museums Association, the Canadian Heritage Information Network, and the Virtual Museum of Canada. They also work with groups that focus on living history, farms, and agriculture.

See also

• Open-air museum
• Museum