If history is what happens the second a moment is over, then Waterloo Region, its businesses, and its people, will have a lot to put on display in the new Waterloo Region Museum. It is about the past and the future...and the near future.

 

The concept of a museum for Waterloo County was first presented in 1912. Possibly because of the transition from horse drawn vehicles and recent innovations in farm practices and implements. The gasoline engine changed everything and so our forefathers and mothers felt it was time to preserve the past even back then. But along came WWI. Any available funding went into the war effort...and the museum was put on hold.
 
 

 

However, forward thinking people with a backwards focus warehoused artifacts. I recall in the 60s farmers and community groups earmarking heritage buildings, thrashing machines and out-dated technology for consideration in what was the Doon Pioneer Village. But the world was moving at a much slower pace. Today, RIM's original Blackberry could find a place in this NEW Museum. Local tech triumphs could, and should, be showcased alongside the steam-era locomotive which stands there on the tracks outside the mock Petersburg train station.

 

 

There was another attempt at developing the museum in the late 1990s, but a mild recession once again prevented it from becoming a reality. There are regions in Canada much smaller than ours that have wonderful museums which stand as a testament to the wisdom, ingenuity, and success of the people that reside there. So where was Waterloo Region's pride? The time has come.
 
 

 

While the real grand opening is presently scheduled for fall 2011, today was a soft opening, dry run for what will be a magnificent legacy for our generation and a place to learn for future generations.

 

 

Please note that while the museum isn't completed, it IS currently open. So please visit to see the village and watch it progress.