Schoolhouse as Carrol residence (Kitchener Collegiate Institute shown in background) (date unknown). Click the photo for more details.

Waterloo’s first schoolhouse was built in 1820 and used until 1842. After the school closed, the building was moved and used as a residence by an ex-slave named Levi Carrol and his family. In 1894, the Park Board purchased the building and moved it from its location in Greenbush (close to present day Grand River Hospital) to Waterloo Park. This was largely due to the efforts of Isaac E. Bowman who led the campaign to have the schoolhouse relocated.⁶⁷ In 1895, there was a reunion for students who had attended the school, and one of the original teachers, Benjamin Burkholder, was present. Some of the students even sat at their old desks!⁶⁸

Reunion of original students (1895). Click the photo for more details.

In 1956, talk began of moving the schoolhouse once more. Alderman Harold Wagner suggested moving it back to its original location at King and Central Streets. The school was not moved, but in the 1960s, there was again talk of moving the building—this time to the Doon Heritage Village.⁶⁹ In the end the log schoolhouse stayed in Waterloo Park. In 1972, $1000 was raised by the teachers’ federations, and students from Laurel Vocational School completed some necessary repairs.⁷⁰ The schoolhouse was reopened to the public and can still be seen in Waterloo Park.

First schoolhouse in Waterloo Park (c.1900). Click the photo for more details.