First Kindergarten

First Kindergarten
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	919 Charles St. Watertown, Wisconsin
NRHP Reference #	72000055
Added to NRHP	February 23, 1972

The First Kindergarten located in Watertown, Wisconsin was the first kindergarten to be opened in the United States.^[1] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.^[2]

History

In 1856, Margarethe Schurz started a kindergarten in her home for her daughter and four of her daughter's cousins.^[3] When other children wanted to join, Schurz opened a school in this building. Schurz's husband, Carl Schurz, later became a Major General in the Union Army during the American Civil War and United States Secretary of the Interior. In 1956, the Watertown Historical Society moved the structure from its original location to its current site alongside the Octagon House and began the restoration process. The building now serves as a museum.

References

1. "First Kindergarten". Historical Marker Database.org. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
2. "First Kindergarten". Landmark Hunter.com. Retrieved 2012-02-23.
3. "First Kindergarten". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2012-02-23.