Waterloo in Waterloo Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Log Schoolhouse

Photographed by Tim Boyd, March 31, 2024

1. Log Schoolhouse Marker

Inscription. The log schoolhouse is Waterloo's first school and one of the oldest remaining log schoolhouses in the Province of Ontario. Built in 1820, the school was originally located near the corner of King and Central Street on lands donated by Abraham Erb. By 1842, the school was too small to accommodate the number of schoolchildren and the building was moved to an area between Waterloo and Berlin (now Kitchener) called Greenbush where it became the residence of former slave, Levi Carroll, and his family until 1891. Recognizing the school's historical importance to the community, Waterloo's park board purchased the building and moved it to Waterloo Park in 1894, one year after the park's official opening. Typical of Pennsylvanian German construction, the one-storey school consists of hand-hewn, squared logs that are notched at their ends in the shape of a "v". The v-joints at the log ends served to lock the logs in place, creating a stable structure without the need for nails. Gaps between the logs were filled with wooden shims and then "chinked" with a lime-based mortar to keep the weather out.

Topics. This historical marker

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is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Education • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1820.

Location. 43° 28.022′ N, 80° 31.79′ W. Marker is in Waterloo, Ontario, in Waterloo Region. It is on Young Street West. The marker is located in Waterloo Park, accessible from the parking lot about 300 metres from the park entrance on Young Street West. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Waterloo ON N2L N2L, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Huron-Perth-Waterloo-Wellington Area

and in Southwestern Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Abraham Erb (a few steps from this marker); The One Hundredth Anniversary of the Incorporation of Waterloo as a Village (about 180 meters

Photographed by Tim Boyd, March 31, 2024

2. Log Schoolhouse Marker

away, measured in a direct line); The First Lutheran Seminary in Canada (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Wilfrid Laurier University / Université Wilfrid Laurier (approx. 0.6 kilometers away); Dominion Life Assurance Company (approx. 0.7 kilometers away); The University of Waterloo (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); Kuntz/ Carling/ Labatt Breweries (approx. 0.9 kilometers away); Peter H. Roos (approx. 1.4 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Waterloo.

Also see . . . Waterloo Heritage - The legacy of the 1820 log schoolhouse.

In the early settlement years, it was not uncommon for children to walk up to five miles to attend school. Ben Eby’s school in Berlin was clearly too far away to accommodate the children in Waterloo. Abraham Erb, founder of (and largest land owner in) Waterloo was eager for his community and its children to have a school of their own. In early 1820, Erb (who eventually died in 1830) conveyed “five acres, 1 rood and 25 perches of land” to form a common school district.

(Submitted on April 2, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)

First Schoolhouse in Waterloo County, 1820 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Boyd, March 31, 2024

3. First Schoolhouse in Waterloo County, 1820

Entrance to Waterloo Park, from Young Street West image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Boyd, March 31, 2024

4. Entrance to Waterloo Park, from Young Street West

First Schoolhouse in Waterloo, during its time as the home of Levi Carroll (pre-1891) image. Click for full size.

5. First Schoolhouse in Waterloo, during its time as the home of Levi Carroll (pre-1891)

Source: Waterloo Public Library (public domain)

Credits. This page was last revised on April 3, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 2, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 506 times since then and 87 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 2, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.