Local history may seem intimidating, particularly if you didn’t grow up in the area, don’t have a focus, or don’t know where to begin. However, there is much to gain, especially when it encourages you to look at your community in new ways. It might also just be nice to know what that downtown storefront housed fifty years ago, or when your neighbourhood was established.
From the Grace Schmidt Room of Local History ‘s extensive collection, here are five engaging titles that collectively provide an excellent introduction to the rich history of Waterloo Region. While the GSR’s collection is non-circulating, the Kitchener Public Library has circulating copies of all five titles – click on the book title link, below the cover image, to find them in the KPL catalogue:
Overtime : Portraits of a Vanishing Canada (2018)
Karl Kessler & Sunshine Chen
In this quick read, Kessler and Chen highlight fifty workers and artisans who shared their experiences practicing vanishing trades, professions and cultural traditions in Waterloo Region. Those interviewed include a tailor, shoemaker, small-appliance repairer, sign painter, typewriter mechanic and even a town clock keeper. As automation and modernization continue to alter the look of employment and consumption, Overtime offers a captivating window into the region’s blue-collar past.
Flash From the Past: 140 Photographs From the Waterloo Region Record (2018)
Jon Fear & Chris Masterman
Created by former Waterloo Region Record employees Jon Fear & Chris Masterman, Flash from the Past: 140 Photographs from the Waterloo Region Record consists of articles from the paper’s long running “Flash From the Past” column dedicated to preserving the region’s past. The photos, which have been unearthed from the Record’s archives, tell many stories of personal and historical significance which shine a new light on the fascinating history of Waterloo Region. I guarantee that this book will ensure that you will not look at our community the same way after reading it, especially with regards to our built environments and how they have changed and, in some cases, how they haven’t.
BlackBerry Town: How High Tech Success Has Played Out For Canada’s Kitchener-Waterloo (2019)
Chuck Howitt
BlackBerry Town tells the story of how the region developed into the tech hub it is today. The focus is on the unexpected rise and fall of Blackberry, and especially how the local community supported and benefited from the company. However, Howitt also weaves in the interesting stories behind the local tech scene, including those of prominent start-ups such as Clearpath Robotics, Shopify and Open Text. I found it particularly fascinating how some innovative thinking and collaboration at the University of Waterloo laid the foundation for all of this, many decades ago.
A Waterloo County Album: Glimpses of the Way We Were (2002)
Stephanie Kirkwood Walker
Walker’s photographic history of Waterloo Region contains 130 black and white images and period illustrations from as early as 1880, of buildings, parks, markets, fairs, parades and the changing cultural landscape. Organized by themed chapters, images are accompanied by some valuable context provided by the local historian and documentary maker. It may not be overly comprehensive, but A Waterloo County Album provides some captivating snapshots that make it a great and accessible introduction to the history of our region.
Waterloo You Never Knew: Life on the Margins (2019)
Joanna Rickert-Hall
In any community’s history, there are important perspectives and stories that remain overlooked. Waterloo You Never Knew reveals a different side to our community, by focusing on forgotten and little-known tales that differ from those typically told. Individuals featured include a rumrunner, former slaves, victims of the 1834 cholera outbreak in Galt, a grave-digging physician and a sorcery-practicing healer. Many of these fascinating lives were lived apart from the mainstream, sometimes even intentionally. Waterloo You Never Knew collects these stories and adds some important historical context to help us look beyond more common narratives.
Enjoy!
Scott Clark, Senior Library Assistant – Grace Schmidt Room of Local History