Built in 1852, the Waterloo County Gaol is Kitchener’s oldest surviving government building and operated as a prison until 1978. The adjoining Governor’s House, added in 1878 as the gaoler’s residence, features a distinctive Victorian Italian Villa design with a four-storey tower.

Three prisoners were buried in the courtyard, including Reginald “Reggie” White, who was executed by hanging in 1940 for murdering John Milroy and his sister Annie with an axe. After the gaol closed, the other graves were located, but White’s grave and remains were never found, leaving behind a lasting mystery.