A Fall Visit to Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge:
Doon Heritage Crossroads; Woodside, boyhood home of William Lyon Mackenzie King; Cambridge Visitor & Business Information Centre
An article from CTGA of Toronto Newsletter.
Article and photos by Jim Toms
CTGA always has the finest of weather for its out-of-town treks after knowledge and new experiences. Monday, November 7, 2005 was no exception. We gathered under a gorgeous blue sky at the Royal York where we met our Events Coordinator, Pam Cook, our favourite driver, Hugh, and our favourite guest, Sylvia Tokmakjian of Can-Ar Coach. After stopping in the west end to pick up our western members we passed through the autumn countryside west of Toronto en route to Kitchener. Once there we headed directly into Doon Heritage Crossroads which is a living reminder of the early 20th century villages of Waterloo Region.
We were greeted by our guide Chris Cody who took us into the “Hall of Fame”
to see a video which provided some understanding of the history of the
region, its citizens and their varied ethnic origins. While informative, we
did not derive the full benefit of the video experience as bright light from
outdoors made it very difficult to see the images. Can anyone afford to
donate blackout curtains?
After our brief introduction to Waterloo Region’s history we made our way
through the outdoor display of Doon Heritage Crossroads which features many
buildings (and machinery) brought from the small villages of the region to
this central point.
First stop was the railway station of Petersburg which had been built in
1856 by the Grand Trunk Railway. Outside it stood Canadian Pacific
locomotive no. 894 which was built in 1911.
A short hop away we explored the Peter Martin House whose original rooms
date back to 1820. The Martin family were Mennonites who had relocated to
Waterloo region from Pennsylvania.
Locomotive 894, a 1911 Canadian Pacific model, stands near the Petersburg station at Doon Heritage Crossroads.
Peter Martin House is a beautiful old Mennonite home from Waterloo Township.