Brubacher House facts for kids
View of the front face of the house.
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| Location | Frank Tompa Drive, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada |
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| Type | Historic house museum |
| Owner | University of Waterloo |
| Public transit access |  GRT 9, 13, 31 University of Waterloo Research and Technology |
| Nearest car park | On site |
| Official name: John E. Brubacher House | |
| Designated: | 3 November 1975 |
The Brubacher House is a special place in Waterloo, Canada. It's a historic house museum that shows what life was like for Mennonite pioneer families in the 1800s.
The house was built around 1850 or 1851. The local Mennonite community built it for the Brubacher family. Today, the house and its old farmland belong to the University of Waterloo.
Contents
History of Brubacher House
The Brubacher Family's Journey
The Brubacher family first came from Switzerland. For many years, they lived in Pennsylvania, USA. They were part of a large Mennonite community there.
In 1807, Mary Brubacher married Benjamin Eby. She moved with him to land near the Grand River. This area later became the city of Kitchener. Over time, more of her family followed.
Mary's mother, Susanna, bought land in the area. One of Susanna's sons, John E. Brubacher, became a respected Mennonite leader. He was also a successful pioneer farmer. He bought a lot of land and shared it with his fifteen children.
Building the Family Home
One of John E. Brubacher's sons, also named John E. Brubacher, was the first to live in the house we see today. In 1846, he married Magdalena Musselman. With his father's help, he got a piece of land in what is now part of Waterloo. This became his family farm.
Construction on the house started in 1850. It was built with strong fieldstone. The style was called Georgian, which was popular with Mennonites back then. It was a 2.5-story farmhouse built into a hillside. This allowed easy access to the basement from one side.
John and Magdalena Brubacher had 14 children. Many of them later moved to other places. Their fourth son, Benjamin M. Brubacher, bought part of his father's farm. He built his own buildings there. The Brubacher family lived in the house and worked the farm until the early 1900s.
Saving the Brubacher House
In the 1950s and 1960s, the University of Waterloo started to grow. New buildings were built around the Brubacher lands. In 1965, the university bought the Brubacher property, including the house. Many of the old farm buildings were taken down.
The area around Laurel Creek used to have natural wetlands. These helped control water during floods. But as Waterloo grew, these wetlands were drained. This made flooding worse. So, new reservoirs were built to help control the water. One of these, Columbia Lake, was created on the western part of the Brubacher land. This meant the old farmland was covered by water.
The Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario and the University of Waterloo Faculty of Environment wanted to save one of the old Mennonite farmhouses on campus. In 1967, the Brubacher farmhouse was chosen. Sadly, in 1968, the empty house caught fire. The roof and all the wooden parts were destroyed.
But the local Mennonite community worked together. Skilled craftspeople helped rebuild the house carefully. They used real items from the 1800s, donated by local Mennonite families. Some of these items even came from the Brubacher family themselves.
In 1975, the rebuilt house was recognized as a heritage site by the City of Waterloo. Tours of the house began in the 1980s.
Visiting the Museum
The Brubacher House is open for tours during certain times of the year. It has a small parking lot nearby. The house is also right next to the Trans-Canada Trail, which is great for walking or biking.
You can easily get to the house using public transportation. It's a short walk from the University of Waterloo and Research and Technology ION light rail stations. Several Grand River Transit bus routes (9, 13, and 31) also stop nearby.
See also
- Schneider Haus
- Doon Heritage Village
- List of oldest buildings and structures in Kitchener-Waterloo area
