Waterloo in Waterloo Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Log Schoolhouse
Photographed By Tim Boyd, March 31, 2024
1. Log Schoolhouse Marker
Inscription.
Log Schoolhouse. . 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.
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.
N, 80° 31.79′ W. Marker is in Waterloo, Ontario, in Waterloo Region. 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.
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.
Photographed By Tim Boyd, March 31, 2024
2. Log Schoolhouse Marker
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.)
Photographed By Tim Boyd, March 31, 2024
3. First Schoolhouse in Waterloo County, 1820
Photographed By Tim Boyd, March 31, 2024
4. Entrance to Waterloo Park, from Young Street West
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 43 times since then. 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.
