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Regional History   |
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Cultural Heritage
Preserving Our Past - Opportunities to Learn - Supporting Heritage Conservation
 The region has a rich and diverse heritage, including distinctive cultures, traditions, festivals, artisans and craftspeople, landmarks, landscapes, properties, structures, burial sites, cemeteries, natural features and archaeological resources. These resources provide an important means of defining and confirming a regional identity, enhancing the quality of life of the community, supporting social development and promoting economic prosperity.
The Region is committed to the conservation of its cultural heritage. This responsibility is shared with the Federal and Provincial governments, Area Municipalities, other government agencies, the private sector, property owners and the community.
Historic Places Register
The Canadian Register of Historic Places is a searchable database that contains information about recognized historic places of local, provincial, territorial and national significance. A "historic place" is a structure, building, group of buildings, district, landscape, archaeological site or other place in Canada that has been formally recognized for its heritage value by an appropriate authority within a jurisdiction. For more information on the Canadian Register of Historic Places visit www.historicplaces.ca.
Waterloo Region has a rich and unique history and thanks to the efforts of the team at the Heritage Resources Centre at the University of Waterloo many historic places in the region are now recognized on the Canadian Register. A list of the sites in the region that are on the Canadian Register can be found here.
Historic Place Names of Waterloo County
Over the past two hundred years, many of the towns and villages of the Waterloo Region have been combined with growing urban areas, while some of the smallest crossroads villages ceased to exist when bypassed by the railroad, or rural depopulation made their existence no longer viable.
Click here to explore the history and development of the County of Waterloo, the five Townships which made up the County, and more than 100 towns and villages – some which have ceased to exist and others which have developed into vibrant communities – through their settlement by Americans and Europeans early in the 19th century through the creation of the Region of Waterloo in 1973.
In Memoriam
We join all Canadians in recognizing the sacrifices and achievements of those men and women from Waterloo County/Region who have served in the cause of peace and freedom around the world over the years. This site includes a comprehensive list of all those from this County/Region who gave their lives for their country.
Historical Driving Tours
Exploring the many historical sites and points of interest is now easier than ever with Waterloo Region's Historical Driving Tour Maps. Get the complete set of four maps for only $2 and start your journey to heritage buildings, landmarks, historic settlements, viewscapes, scenic roads, hiking trails, historic bridges and natural heritage areas.
Churches of Waterloo County before 1900
Are you doing genealogical research and looking for information on churches in Waterloo Region? Here you will find a reprint of A Research Guide to Churches Established Before 1900 written and compiled by Rosemary Willard Ambrose, and originally published by the Waterloo-Wellington Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society in 1993. Included for each church is a brief history, and where available, the location of the church's vital records, e.g. baptism, marriage and burial records.
Spanning the Generations
The Heritage Planning Advisory Committee has published three phases of Spanning the Generations: A Study of Old Bridges in Waterloo Region. Phase I is an inventory and ranking of more than 100 bridges based on their heritage attributes. Phase 2 documents the 10 most historically significant bridges. Phase 3 focuses on steel truss bridges. Hard copies of the documents are available in your public library or can be purchased at Regional Administrative Headquarters.
  
Waterloo County Hall of Fame
The Waterloo County Hall of Fame grew out of a proposal in 1965 to establish a local Sports Hall of Fame in Kitchener. Prior to its opening in 1972 at Doon Heritage Crossroads, the Hall of Fame concept was expanded to include pioneers and community builders. The Hall of Fame is overseen by a Board of Governors with representation from across the Region of Waterloo. More than 440 individuals and groups are recognized in the Waterloo County Hall of Fame for their contribution to the community.
Genealogical Research using A Biographical History of Waterloo Township
Around 1800, families of Mennonites began to move north from the United States to Canada in search of farm land. Ezra Eby collected family histories from Pennsylvania German pioneer families in Waterloo Township, Ontario, and published these as A Biographical History of Waterloo Township in 1895 and 1896. The purpose of this site is to bring the exact text of Ezra Eby's book on-line and enhance it with digital content whose provenance has been carefully checked to associate it with people named in Eby's book.
This site has been developed and will be added to by staff at Doon Heritage Crossroads, the Region of Waterloo’s history museum, and by staff in the Community Services Division, Department of Planning, Housing and Community Services.
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