Brubacher House facts for kids
View of the front face of the house.
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| Former name | John E. Brubacher House |
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| Established | 1979/06/28 |
| Location | Frank Tompa Drive, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada |
| 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 |
| Designated: | 3 November 1975 |
Brubacher House is a special old house that is now a museum. It is located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. This museum helps visitors learn about the daily lives of Pennsylvania German Mennonite families. These families settled in Waterloo County between 1850 and 1890. The farmhouse stands on land that was traditionally home to the Attawandaron, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee Peoples.
The house was built in 1850. John E. Brubacher and his wife, Magdalena (Musselman) Brubacher, lived there with their family. In 1965, the University of Waterloo bought Brubacher House. After a lot of careful work to fix it up, the farmhouse opened to the public as a museum in 1979.
Contents
History of Brubacher House
Mennonite Families Come to Canada
Starting in the 1500s, Mennonites and other groups in Europe faced challenges because of their religious beliefs. Many of them moved to Pennsylvania in the United States to find religious freedom. The Brubacher family, who were Mennonites from Switzerland, moved to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the early 1700s.
In the early 1800s, many Mennonites from the United States, including members of the Brubacher family, moved to Upper Canada (now Ontario). They were looking for new farmland. Mary (Brubacher) Eby and her husband Benjamin Eby settled in what is now Waterloo Region in 1807. In 1816, Mary's mother, Susannah (Erb) Brubacher, and her brother, Deacon John E. Brubacher, joined them.
Land in Waterloo Region
Waterloo Region is on the traditional lands of the Attawandaron, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee Peoples. This area is part of the Haldimand Tract. The Haldimand Tract is a large piece of land along the Grand River. It was promised to the Six Nations of the Grand River in 1784.
In 1798, a Six Nations leader named Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea) gave six parts of the Haldimand Tract to the British Crown. The agreement was that money from selling this land would help the Six Nations. However, the Crown did not keep this promise, and most of the money never reached the Six Nations Peoples.
In 1798, a businessman named Richard Beasley bought Block Two of the Haldimand Tract. This was 60,000 acres of land, known as Waterloo Township. This area is now part of Waterloo Region. In the early 1800s, a group of Mennonites from Lancaster County formed the German Company. They bought Block Two from Richard Beasley together. Susannah (Erb) Brubacher was one of the people who owned a share in this company. After the German Company bought the land in 1805, many Mennonites from Pennsylvania moved to Block Two.
Life in the Grand River Valley
When they first arrived in Waterloo Township, Susannah (Erb) Brubacher and Deacon John E. Brubacher lived on Lot 57. In 1817, Deacon John E. Brubacher married Catherine Sherk. Susannah later returned to Pennsylvania. Deacon John E. and Catherine had fifteen children. One of their children was John E. Brubacher, born in 1822.
In 1846, John E. Brubacher married Magdalena Musselman. They built a large stone farmhouse on Lot 25 in 1850. This is the house we now know as Brubacher House. John E. and Magdalena raised their fourteen children in this home. Magdalena passed away in 1877. About five years later, John E. married Magdalena’s sister, Esther Musselman. Esther had three children from her first marriage. John E. lived in Brubacher House until he passed away in 1902 at 82 years old.
Saving Brubacher House
The University of Waterloo bought Brubacher House and other old Mennonite farmhouses in 1965. Teachers from the University and members of the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario wanted to save one of these homes. They knew these houses were important to local history. The University of Waterloo agreed to help.
After checking the farmhouses, Brubacher House was chosen for restoration. But in 1968, just before the work was to start, a fire damaged much of the empty house inside. Even with this problem, the plan to turn the house into a museum continued. The University of Waterloo, the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario, and the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation all helped with the restoration.
Simeon Martin, a skilled Mennonite craftsman, and other local Mennonites worked hard on the project. Many local Mennonite families also gave old items to help furnish the house.
The restored farmhouse was recognized as a heritage building in 1975. This was done by the City of Waterloo under the Ontario Heritage Act. Brubacher House officially opened as a museum in 1979. In 2019, the City of Waterloo also recognized Brubacher House as an important local Cultural Heritage Landscape.
The Farmhouse Design
Brubacher House shows a Pennsylvania German style of building, similar to Georgian architecture. Like many other Mennonite homes from that time, Brubacher House was built into the side of a hill. The farmhouse has two main floors. It also has a basement that was used as a summer kitchen.
The land around the house was used for farming until the University of Waterloo bought it in 1965. When John E. Brubacher and his family lived there, the farm had a walled orchard and a special four-square kitchen garden. Today, Brubacher House has recreated a traditional 1800s four-square garden for visitors to see.
Visiting the Museum
Brubacher House is located on the North Campus of the University of Waterloo. It is right next to the Trans-Canada Trail. The museum is open during certain seasons for tours. Visitors can explore different rooms inside Brubacher House. These include the kitchen, summer kitchen, pantry, bedroom, and parlour.
Visitors can also enjoy the outdoor areas and tour the newly added four-square garden. Brubacher House also has an artist-in-residence program. This program helps artists connect with the local community and work on their art. The house also hosts community events and can be rented for gatherings.
People who live in the house as museum hosts help with the daily running of this historic home. The University of Waterloo owns Brubacher House. It is managed together with Conrad Grebel University College and the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario.
See also
- Conrad Grebel University College
- Schneider Haus
- Doon Heritage Village
- Castle Kilbride
- List of oldest buildings and structures in Kitchener-Waterloo area
