Doon Heritage Village


Doon Heritage Village, located at the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, is a picturesque 60 acre living history village that shows visitors what life was like in the Waterloo Region in the year 1914. It is located in the former Doon village, now part of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, next to Homer Watson Park.
The Doon Heritage Village is open seasonally from May to December. The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum is open daily throughout the year, while the village is not open weekends in September, October and November.
The Doon Heritage Village recreates life in rural Waterloo County during the year 1914. It has more than 22 buildings on more than 24 hectares. Some of these are restored buildings donated and relocated from across Waterloo Region and south-central Ontario, and some are reconstructions based on original buildings.
Buildings in the living history village include Petersburg Grand Trunk Railway Station, Peter Martin House, Wagon Drive Shed and Barns, Detweiler Weavery, Dry Goods and Grocery Store, Harness Shop, Tailor Shop, Post Office, Sawmill, Blacksmith Shop, Meat Market, Repair Shop, Peter McArthur House, Seibert House, Sararas House, Bricker Barn, Freeport United Brethren in Christ Church, and Fire Hall.
The Doon Heritage Village, which has been in operation since 1957, and the nearby Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum, which opened in 2010, are owned and operated by the Regional Municipality of Waterloo.

Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum

Construction of the new Waterloo Region Museum began in late 2008. The museum is located at the entrance to Doon Heritage Village and the building opened on May 1, 2010. The museum and exhibits were officially opened in November 2011. In November 2018 the Waterloo Region Museum campus was renamed the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum in recognition of retiring Regional Chair Ken Seiling - honouring his 33 years serving as Regional Chair. The museum was designed by Moriyama + Teshima Architects.

Programs of the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum

Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum is a campus of historical attractions and preservation facilities, including the Doon Heritage Village, the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame, and the Waterloo Region Curatorial Centre. The campus of facilities is the largest community museum in Ontario.
The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum is a 47,000 square foot museum, designed by Moriyama + Teshima Architects, Toronto. It is the first LEED certified museum in Canada. The museum includes two exhibit galleries. The long term exhibit, What Makes Us Who We Are?, explores 12,000 years of the history and development of Waterloo Region, from First Peoples through the high tech sector of the early 21st century. A short term exhibit gallery is used for exhibits mounted by the museum from its own collection, and traveling exhibits from other museums on a variety of topics. The museum includes public amenities such as a gift shop, the 114 seat Christie Theatre, classrooms, outdoor patio/picnic space, and Hazels - a snack bar/cafe. The museum is open year round.
The Doon Heritage Village is set in 1914, in World War I. Living history programs bring to life the first 14 years of the 1900s. Hands-on activities take place throughout the year including vintage games, making ice cream and historic crafts led by costumed teacher/interpreters. Seasonal special events and programs are held throughout the village's eight-month season from May through December.
The Waterloo Region Hall of Fame is located on the second floor exhibit gallery of What Makes Us Who We Are? in the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum. The Hall of Fame annually recognizes individuals and groups that have brought recognition of themselves and the community. More than 450 individuals, groups and sports teams have been inducted into the Hall since it opened in 1972.
The Waterloo Region Curatorial Centre is a 35,500 square foot preservation facility that supports the work of the museums owned and operated by the Region of Waterloo. Facilities include artifact storage, two conservation labs, an exhibit design studio, exhibit fabrication workshop, library and archives.

Images

History

1950–1959

The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum collection supports the 1914 living history village but also includes the Region of Waterloo’s local history collection, spanning from prehistory to the present day. The core collection numbers more than 50,000 artifacts and archival pieces; archaeological collections from across Waterloo Region number many hundreds of thousands of artifacts. Research collections are stored in the Region of Waterloo Curatorial Centre, located on the museum's property.

Citations

Tivy, Mary. The Local History Museum In Ontario: An Intellectual History, 1851-1985. PhD Thesis, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, 2006.
Region of Waterloo. History's Home for 40 Years - Doon Heritage Crossroads, 1957-1997. Region of Waterloo, Kitchener, Ontario, 1997.
Region of Waterloo. Doon Heritage Crossroads Visitor Guide. Region of Waterloo, Kitchener, Ontario, 1993.

Affiliations

The museum is affiliated with: CMA Canadian Museums Association, CHIN, and Virtual Museum of Canada, OMA Ontario Museum Association, ALHFAM, AAM and many other professional, marketing and trade associations.