America's First Kindergarten
The concept of a Kindergarten (literally, "Children Garden") was developed in Germany by Frederich Froebel in 1837 in Blankenburg, Germany. The Prussian government, that didn't care much Froebel, banned the Kindergarten in 1851 but by then, the concept had already spread to the rest of Europe. Margarethe Schurz, wife of pioneer conservationist and former Secretary of the Interior, Carl Schurz, opened her first Kindergarten in this building in 1856.
Because of the significance of the German-speaking Kindergarten, the building was moved to this location as a part of the Watertown Historical Society's park here, site of the Octagon House.
Photo taken by J.R. Manning