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Coordinates: 43°28′32″N 80°33′08″W / 43.47555°N 80.55232°W / 43.47555; -80.55232
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I edited the introduction to the Brubacher House to align with updated information on the Brubacher House website.
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Updated the historical information to include the history of the land and territorial acknowledgements, modifications to make the article more succinct and focused on the Brubacher family and home (removed some of the information on the surrounding environment), included the most recent activities/events at Brubacher House, changed some wording
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'''Brubacher House''' is a [[historic house museum]] located in [[Waterloo, Ontario|Waterloo, Ontario, Canada]]. It allows visitors to explore the everyday life of Mennonite settlers in [[Waterloo County, Ontario|Waterloo County]] from 1850 to 1890.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=June 17, 2024 |title=About Brubacher House {{!}} Brubacher House Museum |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/brubacher-house/about-brubacher-house |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=University of Waterloo}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=June 17, 2024 |title=About Us {{!}} Brubacher House Museum |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/brubacher-house/about-us |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=University of Waterloo}}</ref> The farmhouse is located on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg, Attawandaron (Neutral), and Haudenosaunee Peoples.<ref name=":1" />
'''Brubacher House''' is a [[historic house museum]] located in [[Waterloo, Ontario]], [[Canada]]. It allows visitors to explore the everyday life of [[Pennsylvania Dutch|Pennsylvania German]] [[Mennonites|Mennonite]] settlers in [[Waterloo County, Ontario|Waterloo County]] from 1850 to 1890.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date= |title=About Brubacher House {{!}} Brubacher House Museum |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/brubacher-house/about-brubacher-house |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=University of Waterloo}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date= |title=About Us {{!}} Brubacher House Museum |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/brubacher-house/about-us |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=University of Waterloo}}</ref> The farmhouse is located on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee Peoples.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date= |title=Truth and Reconciliation |url=https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/living-here/truth-and-reconciliation.aspx#:~:text=The%20Region%20of%20Waterloo%20is,Nations%20of%20the%20Grand%20River. |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=Region of Waterloo}}</ref>


Following its construction in 1850, the family of John E. Brubacher and Magdalena (Musselman) Brubacher resided in the home. In 1965, the [[University of Waterloo]] purchased Brubacher House. After substantial restorations, the farmhouse opened to the public as a museum in 1979.<ref name=":0" />
Following its construction in 1850, the family of John E. Brubacher and Magdalena (Musselman) Brubacher resided in the home. In 1965, the [[University of Waterloo]] purchased Brubacher House. After substantial restorations, the farmhouse opened to the public as a museum in 1979.<ref name=":0" />
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==History==
==History==


=== Brubacher heritage and settlement ===
The Brubacher (or Brubaker) family originated in [[Switzerland]], but had lived in Brubaker Valley, [[Lancaster County, Pennsylvania|Lancaster County]], [[Pennsylvania]] since the early 18th century as a part of the [[Mennonite]] community in Pennsylvania.<ref name=generations-susanna>{{cite web |url=https://generations.regionofwaterloo.ca/getperson.php?personID=I18530&tree=generations |website=Waterloo Region Generations |publisher=[[Region of Waterloo]] |title=Susanna Erb |access-date=20 March 2020}}</ref> Their relocation to [[Waterloo County]] began when Mary Brubacher (1789–1834) married [[Benjamin Eby]] in 1807. In the same year, she traveled with him to settle on land near the [[Grand River (Ontario)|Grand River]] which would become known as Ebytown, and later be known as Berlin and [[Kitchener, Ontario|Kitchener]]. The rest of her family gradually followed, and her mother, Susanna, bought land in the area. One of Susanna's sons, John E. Brubacher, became a Mennonite deacon and successful pioneer, who acquired significant landholdings (some of it purchased from his mother) and then distributed it to his fifteen children.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://generations.regionofwaterloo.ca/getperson.php?personID=I459&tree=generations |website=Waterloo Region Generations |publisher=[[Region of Waterloo]] |title=Deacon John E. Brubacher |access-date=20 March 2020}}</ref> Among them was another John E. Brubacher, who would be the first Brubacher to live in the house.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://generations.regionofwaterloo.ca/getperson.php?personID=I560&tree=generations |website=Waterloo Region Generations |publisher=[[Region of Waterloo]] |title=John E. Brubacher |access-date=20 March 2020}}</ref> John married his first wife, Magdalena Musselman, in 1846. Soon, with his father's help, he was able to obtain a parcel of land in the northwest of the historic Waterloo Township, which today is part of the City of [[Waterloo, Ontario|Waterloo]]. This would be the location of his family farm, and where he would make his home.
Beginning in the sixteenth century, [[Mennonites]] as well as other Anabaptists in various European regions faced persecution for their religious beliefs and practices. Often seeking religious freedom, large populations of South German and Swiss Mennonites relocated to [[Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Loewen |first=Harry |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/607656509 |title=Through Fire and Water: An Overview of Mennonite History |last2=Nolt |first2=Steven M. |date=2010 |publisher=Herald Press |isbn=978-0-8361-9506-4 |edition=Revised |location=Scottdale, Pennsylvania |pages=132-133 |oclc=}}</ref> Included in this wave of migration were the Brubachers, Mennonites from [[Switzerland]] who moved to [[Lancaster County, Pennsylvania]] in the early eighteenth century.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=John Brubacher |url=https://generations.regionofwaterloo.ca/getperson.php?personID=I435&tree=generations |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=Waterloo Region Generations}}</ref> In the early 1800s, members of the Brubacher family and many other Mennonites living in the United States relocated to [[Upper Canada]] in pursuit of farmland.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Loewen |first=Harry |title=Through Fire and Water: An Overview of Mennonite History |last2=Nolt |first2=Steven M. |date=2010 |publisher=Herald Press |isbn=978-0836195064 |edition=Revised |location=Scottdale, Pennsylvania |pages=145}}</ref> Mary (Brubacher) Eby and her husband Benjamin Eby settled in what would eventually become [[Regional Municipality of Waterloo|Waterloo Region]] in 1807.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maria "Mary" Brubacher |url=https://generations.regionofwaterloo.ca/getperson.php?personID=I457&tree=generations |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=Waterloo Region Generations}}</ref> In 1816, John Brubacher and Susannah (Erb) Brubacher, John's and Mary's widowed mother, joined Mary and her family in [[Regional Municipality of Waterloo|Waterloo Region]].<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Deacon John E. Brubacher |url=https://generations.regionofwaterloo.ca/getperson.php?personID=I459&tree=generations |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=Waterloo Region Generations}}</ref>


[[Regional Municipality of Waterloo|Waterloo Region]] is situated on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee Peoples and is located on Haldimand Tract.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> The Haldimand Tract, which is comprised of ten kilometres of land on both sides of the Grand River, was promised to the Six Nations of the Grand River in 1784 by the [[Haldimand Proclamation]].<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Territorial Acknowledgement {{!}} Brubacher House Museum |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/brubacher-house/about-brubacher-house/territorial-acknowledgment |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=University of Waterloo}}</ref> In 1798, Six Nations leader [[Joseph Brant|Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea)]] surrendered six blocks of land from the Haldimand Tract to the British Crown.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Six Nations Lands & Resources Department |url=https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/documents/p80100/130877E.pdf |title=Land Rights: A Global Solution for the Six Nations of the Grand River |date=2019 |publication-date=2019 |pages=26}}</ref> It was agreed that the Crown would put the funds generated from the land towards supporting the Six Nations; however, the Crown did not honour their commitment and most to all of the revenue never reached the Six Nations Peoples.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Six Nations Lands & Resources Department |url=https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/documents/p80100/130877E.pdf |title=Land Rights: A Global Solution for the Six Nations of the Grand River |date=2019 |year=2019 |publication-date=2019 |pages=6}}</ref>
Construction on the house began in 1850.<ref name="crhp">{{CRHP|9893|John E. Brubacher House}}</ref> It was built using [[fieldstone]] in the typical [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] style favoured by Mennonites at the time,<ref name=crhp /> and consisted of a {{frac|2|1|2}}-storey farmhouse built into a hillside, allowing for level access to the basement on the south side. John and Magdalena Brubacher ultimately had 14 children, many of whom moved to other districts. Their fourth son, Benjamin M. Brubacher, purchased part of his father's farm and erected buildings of his own there.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://generations.regionofwaterloo.ca/getperson.php?personID=I571&tree=generations |website=Waterloo Region Generations |publisher=[[Region of Waterloo]] |title=Benjamin M. Brubacher |access-date=31 March 2020}}</ref> The Brubacher family continued to live in the house and operate the farm until the early 20th century, when operations shifted to other farmers.


In 1798, businessman Richard Beasley acquired Block Two of the Haldimand Tract, which consisted of 60,000 acres of land that was referred to as Waterloo Township.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2016 |title=A Brief History of the Land in Waterloo Region |url=https://www.wpl.ca/content/brief-history-land-waterloo-region |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=Waterloo Public Library}}</ref> This area has since been integrated into [[Regional Municipality of Waterloo|Waterloo Region]].<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Waterloo Township |url=https://regionofwaterloomuseums.ca/en/collections-and-research/waterloo-township.aspx#waterloo |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=Region of Waterloo Museums}}</ref> A group of Mennonites from [[Lancaster County, Pennsylvania|Lancaster County]] established the German Company in the early 1800s to jointly purchase Block Two from Richard Beasley.<ref name=":3" /> Susannah (Erb) Brubacher was one of the shareholders in the German Company.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last= |url=https://www.waterloo.ca/en/government/resources/Documents/Cityadministration/Cultural-Heritage-Landscapes-Study/Cultural-Heritage-Landscapes-Inventory.pdf |title=Cultural Heritage Landscape Inventory |date=2019 |publisher=City of Waterloo |year=2019 |location=Waterloo, Ontario |publication-date=2019 |pages=196}}</ref> After the German Company officially acquired the land in 1805, many Mennonites from Pennsylvania relocated to Block Two.<ref name=":3" /> Mennonite land purchases and settlement in the Grand River Valley contributed to [[Settler colonialism in Canada|settler-colonialism in Canada]], which causes ongoing harm to Indigenous Peoples.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Konkle |first=Jen |date=December 7, 2017 |title=Changing Historical Narratives |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/grebel-now/grebel-now-fall-2017/feature/changing-historical-narratives |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=Grebel Now}}</ref>
In the late 1950s through the 1960s, the [[University of Waterloo]] began to form and academic buildings were constructed on the land around the former Schweitzer farmhouse to the south of the Brubacher lands. In 1965, the university purchased the Brubacher lands, including the house, and demolished many of the existing buildings. Due to the rapid development of Waterloo in the early- to mid-20th century, the natural wetlands and drainage areas around Laurel Creek were drained, eliminating natural reservoirs during high water periods such as spring floods. As a result, flooding of the creek became more severe, and a number of reservoirs were constructed for flood control upstream (north) of Waterloo's urban core. One of these, Columbia Lake, was created on the western portion of the Brubacher land, submerging the old farmland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.umass.edu/ecologicalcities/watershed/papers/Goucher.pdf |first=Nancy |last=Goucher |title=Case Study: Laurel Creek Watershed, Ontario, Canada |publisher=[[University of Waterloo]]}}</ref> The [[Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario]] and the [[University of Waterloo Faculty of Environment]] campaigned for at least one of the old Mennonite farmhouses on the campus to be preserved and restored, and in 1967 the Brubacher farmhouse was chosen.<ref name="mhso">{{cite web |title=Brubacher House |url=http://www.mhso.org/content/brubacher-house |access-date=20 March 2020 |publisher=[[Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario]]}}</ref> In the following year, 1968, the vacant farmhouse burned down, resulting in the total destruction of its roof and wooden structural components. Through the efforts of the local Mennonite community and its craftsmen, the house was painstakingly reconstructed and re-furnished using authentic 19th century artifacts donated by local Mennonite families, including the Brubacher family.<ref name=mhso />


=== Life in the Grand River Valley ===
The rebuilt house was given heritage designation in 1975 by the City of Waterloo under the [[Ontario Heritage Act]],<ref name=crhp /> and tours began in the 1980s.
Upon their arrival in Waterloo Township, Susannah (Erb) Brubacher and John Brubacher lived on Lot 57 of the German Company’s holdings. In 1817, John Brubacher married Catherine Sherk. Susannah returned to Pennsylvania not long after this marriage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Deacon John E. Brubacher |url=https://generations.regionofwaterloo.ca/getperson.php?personID=I459&tree=generations |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=Waterloo Region Generations}}</ref> John Brubacher and Catherine (Sherk) Brubacher had fifteen children, among them John E. Brubacher, who was born in 1822. In 1846, John E. Brubacher married Magdalena Musselman.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=John E. Brubacher |url=https://generations.regionofwaterloo.ca/getperson.php?personID=I560&tree=generations |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=Waterloo Region Generations}}</ref> The couple resided on Lot 25, where they constructed a large fieldstone farmhouse in 1850.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Brubacher House |url=https://www.mhso.org/content/brubacher-house |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario}}</ref> This farmhouse has since become known as Brubacher House. John E. and Magdalena brought up their fourteen children in the home.<ref name=":0" /> Magdalena passed away in 1877, and approximately five years later, John E. married Magdalena’s widowed sister Esther Musselman, who had three children from her marriage to her late first husband.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Esther Musselman |url=https://generations.regionofwaterloo.ca/getperson.php?personID=I13911&tree=generations |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=Waterloo Region Generations}}</ref> John E. lived in Brubacher House until his passing at the age of 82 in 1902.<ref name=":5" />

=== The preservation of Brubacher House ===
The [[University of Waterloo]] acquired Brubacher House along with several other Mennonite farmhouses in 1965. University of Waterloo faculty and members of the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario advocated for the restoration and preservation of one of the homes due to their local historical significance. After the [[University of Waterloo]] agreed to take on the project, the inspections of the farmhouses revealed that Brubacher House was best suited for restoration. However, a fire destroyed much of the vacant home’s interior in 1968, shortly before the restoration process was due to begin.<ref name=":6" /> Despite this setback, efforts to transform the home into a museum carried on. The [[University of Waterloo]], the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario, and the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation all contributed to the restoration process.<ref name=":0" /> Simeon Martin, a skilled Mennonite craftsman, along with other members of the local Mennonite community were highly involved in the project.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.waterloo.ca/en/government/resources/Documents/Cityadministration/Cultural-Heritage-Landscapes-Study/Cultural-Heritage-Landscapes-Inventory.pdf |title=Cultural Heritage Landscape Inventory |date=2019 |publisher=City of Waterloo |year=2019 |pages=198}}</ref> In addition, many local Mennonite families donated artifacts to help furnish the home.<ref name=":6" />

The restored farmhouse was given heritage designation in 1975 by the City of Waterloo under the [[Ontario Heritage Act]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=John E. Brubacher House |url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9893&pid=0 |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=Canada's Historic Places}}</ref> and Brubacher House was opened to the public as a museum in 1979.<ref name=":0" /> In 2019, the City of Waterloo recognized Brubacher House as an important local Cultural Heritage Landscape.<ref name=":0" />
----

== The farmhouse ==
Brubacher House reflects a [[Pennsylvania Dutch|Pennsylvania German]], Georgian building style. Like many other Mennonite homes from the period, Brubacher House was constructed into the side of a hill.<ref name=":4" /> The farmhouse is two storeys tall and features a basement that functioned as a summer kitchen. The land surrounding the home was used for agricultural purposes up until it was purchased by the [[University of Waterloo]] in 1965.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4" /> When John E. Brubacher and his family resided in the farmhouse, the farmstead included a walled orchard and a four-square kitchen garden. In recent years, Brubacher House has recreated a traditional, nineteenth-century four-square garden on the museum premises.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Four Square Garden {{!}} Brubacher House Museum |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/brubacher-house/about-brubacher-house/four-square-garden |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=University of Waterloo}}</ref>
----


==Museum information==
==Museum information==
Brubacher House can be found on the [[University of Waterloo]]’s North Campus and sits next to the [[Trans Canada Trail|Trans-Canada Trail]]. The museum is open seasonally for tours. Visitors can explore the kitchen and summer kitchen, pantry, bedroom, and parlour inside Brubacher House. Visitors can also enjoy the grounds and tour the recently added four-square garden.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} Brubacher House Museum |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/brubacher-house/ |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=University of Waterloo}}</ref> Brubacher House features an artist-in-residence program, which supports artisans and artists in connecting with the local community and engaging in their chosen artistic medium.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Exhibits and Programs {{!}} Brubacher House Museum |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/brubacher-house/events/exhibits-and-programs |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=University of Waterloo}}</ref> Additionally, the house hosts community events and provides event space rentals for gatherings.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Event Space {{!}} Brubacher House Museum |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/brubacher-house/about-brubacher-house/event-space |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=University of Waterloo}}</ref>
The house is open seasonally for tours. It has a small adjacent parking lot and sits next to the [[Trans-Canada Trail]]. It is also within walking distance of the [[University of Waterloo station|University of Waterloo]] and [[Research and Technology station|Research and Technology]] [[Ion rapid transit|ION light rail]] stations, as well as the 9, 13, and 31 [[Grand River Transit]] local bus routes.

Live-in museum hosts are responsible for daily operations of the historic house.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hosts {{!}} Brubacher House Museum |url=https://uwaterloo.ca/brubacher-house/about-us/hosts |url-status=live |access-date=June 17, 2024 |website=University of Waterloo}}</ref> Brubacher House is owned by the [[University of Waterloo]] and operated collaboratively with [[Conrad Grebel University College]] and the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario.<ref name=":1" />
----


==See also==
==See also==


* [[Conrad Grebel University College]]
* [[Schneider Haus]]
* [[Schneider Haus]]
* [[Doon Heritage Village]]
* [[Doon Heritage Village]]
* [[Castle Kilbride]]
* [[List of oldest buildings and structures in Kitchener-Waterloo area]]
* [[List of oldest buildings and structures in Kitchener-Waterloo area]]


Revision as of 23:08, 17 June 2024

Brubacher House
Front view of the Brubacher House.
View of the front face of the house.
Brubacher House is located in Regional Municipality of Waterloo
Brubacher House
Location within Regional Municipality of Waterloo
Brubacher House is located in Southern Ontario
Brubacher House
Brubacher House (Southern Ontario)
LocationFrank Tompa Drive, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates43°28′32″N 80°33′08″W / 43.47555°N 80.55232°W / 43.47555; -80.55232
TypeHistoric house museum
OwnerUniversity of Waterloo
Public transit accessBus transport GRT 9, 13, 31
University of Waterloo
Research and Technology
Nearest car parkOn site
Websiteuwaterloo.ca/grebel/about-grebel/our-partners/brubacher-house
Official nameJohn E. Brubacher House
Designated3 November 1975 (1975-11-03)

Brubacher House is a historic house museum located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It allows visitors to explore the everyday life of Pennsylvania German Mennonite settlers in Waterloo County from 1850 to 1890.[1][2] The farmhouse is located on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee Peoples.[2][3]

Following its construction in 1850, the family of John E. Brubacher and Magdalena (Musselman) Brubacher resided in the home. In 1965, the University of Waterloo purchased Brubacher House. After substantial restorations, the farmhouse opened to the public as a museum in 1979.[1]

History

Brubacher heritage and settlement

Beginning in the sixteenth century, Mennonites as well as other Anabaptists in various European regions faced persecution for their religious beliefs and practices. Often seeking religious freedom, large populations of South German and Swiss Mennonites relocated to Pennsylvania.[4] Included in this wave of migration were the Brubachers, Mennonites from Switzerland who moved to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the early eighteenth century.[5] In the early 1800s, members of the Brubacher family and many other Mennonites living in the United States relocated to Upper Canada in pursuit of farmland.[6] Mary (Brubacher) Eby and her husband Benjamin Eby settled in what would eventually become Waterloo Region in 1807.[7] In 1816, John Brubacher and Susannah (Erb) Brubacher, John's and Mary's widowed mother, joined Mary and her family in Waterloo Region.[8]

Waterloo Region is situated on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee Peoples and is located on Haldimand Tract.[2][3] The Haldimand Tract, which is comprised of ten kilometres of land on both sides of the Grand River, was promised to the Six Nations of the Grand River in 1784 by the Haldimand Proclamation.[9] In 1798, Six Nations leader Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea) surrendered six blocks of land from the Haldimand Tract to the British Crown.[10] It was agreed that the Crown would put the funds generated from the land towards supporting the Six Nations; however, the Crown did not honour their commitment and most to all of the revenue never reached the Six Nations Peoples.[11]

In 1798, businessman Richard Beasley acquired Block Two of the Haldimand Tract, which consisted of 60,000 acres of land that was referred to as Waterloo Township.[12] This area has since been integrated into Waterloo Region.[13] A group of Mennonites from Lancaster County established the German Company in the early 1800s to jointly purchase Block Two from Richard Beasley.[12] Susannah (Erb) Brubacher was one of the shareholders in the German Company.[14] After the German Company officially acquired the land in 1805, many Mennonites from Pennsylvania relocated to Block Two.[12] Mennonite land purchases and settlement in the Grand River Valley contributed to settler-colonialism in Canada, which causes ongoing harm to Indigenous Peoples.[15]

Life in the Grand River Valley

Upon their arrival in Waterloo Township, Susannah (Erb) Brubacher and John Brubacher lived on Lot 57 of the German Company’s holdings. In 1817, John Brubacher married Catherine Sherk. Susannah returned to Pennsylvania not long after this marriage.[16] John Brubacher and Catherine (Sherk) Brubacher had fifteen children, among them John E. Brubacher, who was born in 1822. In 1846, John E. Brubacher married Magdalena Musselman.[17] The couple resided on Lot 25, where they constructed a large fieldstone farmhouse in 1850.[17][18] This farmhouse has since become known as Brubacher House. John E. and Magdalena brought up their fourteen children in the home.[1] Magdalena passed away in 1877, and approximately five years later, John E. married Magdalena’s widowed sister Esther Musselman, who had three children from her marriage to her late first husband.[17][19] John E. lived in Brubacher House until his passing at the age of 82 in 1902.[17]

The preservation of Brubacher House

The University of Waterloo acquired Brubacher House along with several other Mennonite farmhouses in 1965. University of Waterloo faculty and members of the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario advocated for the restoration and preservation of one of the homes due to their local historical significance. After the University of Waterloo agreed to take on the project, the inspections of the farmhouses revealed that Brubacher House was best suited for restoration. However, a fire destroyed much of the vacant home’s interior in 1968, shortly before the restoration process was due to begin.[18] Despite this setback, efforts to transform the home into a museum carried on. The University of Waterloo, the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario, and the Waterloo Regional Heritage Foundation all contributed to the restoration process.[1] Simeon Martin, a skilled Mennonite craftsman, along with other members of the local Mennonite community were highly involved in the project.[1][20] In addition, many local Mennonite families donated artifacts to help furnish the home.[18]

The restored farmhouse was given heritage designation in 1975 by the City of Waterloo under the Ontario Heritage Act,[21] and Brubacher House was opened to the public as a museum in 1979.[1] In 2019, the City of Waterloo recognized Brubacher House as an important local Cultural Heritage Landscape.[1]

The farmhouse

Brubacher House reflects a Pennsylvania German, Georgian building style. Like many other Mennonite homes from the period, Brubacher House was constructed into the side of a hill.[14] The farmhouse is two storeys tall and features a basement that functioned as a summer kitchen. The land surrounding the home was used for agricultural purposes up until it was purchased by the University of Waterloo in 1965.[1][14] When John E. Brubacher and his family resided in the farmhouse, the farmstead included a walled orchard and a four-square kitchen garden. In recent years, Brubacher House has recreated a traditional, nineteenth-century four-square garden on the museum premises.[22]

Museum information

Brubacher House can be found on the University of Waterloo’s North Campus and sits next to the Trans-Canada Trail. The museum is open seasonally for tours. Visitors can explore the kitchen and summer kitchen, pantry, bedroom, and parlour inside Brubacher House. Visitors can also enjoy the grounds and tour the recently added four-square garden.[23] Brubacher House features an artist-in-residence program, which supports artisans and artists in connecting with the local community and engaging in their chosen artistic medium.[24] Additionally, the house hosts community events and provides event space rentals for gatherings.[25]

Live-in museum hosts are responsible for daily operations of the historic house.[26] Brubacher House is owned by the University of Waterloo and operated collaboratively with Conrad Grebel University College and the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "About Brubacher House | Brubacher House Museum". University of Waterloo. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ a b c d "About Us | Brubacher House Museum". University of Waterloo. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ a b "Truth and Reconciliation". Region of Waterloo. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ Loewen, Harry; Nolt, Steven M. (2010). Through Fire and Water: An Overview of Mennonite History (Revised ed.). Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press. pp. 132–133. ISBN 978-0-8361-9506-4.
  5. ^ "John Brubacher". Waterloo Region Generations. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ Loewen, Harry; Nolt, Steven M. (2010). Through Fire and Water: An Overview of Mennonite History (Revised ed.). Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press. p. 145. ISBN 978-0836195064.
  7. ^ "Maria "Mary" Brubacher". Waterloo Region Generations. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Deacon John E. Brubacher". Waterloo Region Generations. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Territorial Acknowledgement | Brubacher House Museum". University of Waterloo. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Six Nations Lands & Resources Department (2019). Land Rights: A Global Solution for the Six Nations of the Grand River (PDF). p. 26.
  11. ^ Six Nations Lands & Resources Department (2019). Land Rights: A Global Solution for the Six Nations of the Grand River (PDF). p. 6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  12. ^ a b c "A Brief History of the Land in Waterloo Region". Waterloo Public Library. 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ "Waterloo Township". Region of Waterloo Museums. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ a b c Cultural Heritage Landscape Inventory (PDF). Waterloo, Ontario: City of Waterloo. 2019. p. 196.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  15. ^ Konkle, Jen (December 7, 2017). "Changing Historical Narratives". Grebel Now. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Deacon John E. Brubacher". Waterloo Region Generations. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ a b c d "John E. Brubacher". Waterloo Region Generations. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ^ a b c "Brubacher House". Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  19. ^ "Esther Musselman". Waterloo Region Generations. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Cultural Heritage Landscape Inventory (PDF). City of Waterloo. 2019. p. 198.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  21. ^ "John E. Brubacher House". Canada's Historic Places. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ "Four Square Garden | Brubacher House Museum". University of Waterloo. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ "Home | Brubacher House Museum". University of Waterloo. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ "Exhibits and Programs | Brubacher House Museum". University of Waterloo. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ "Event Space | Brubacher House Museum". University of Waterloo. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ^ "Hosts | Brubacher House Museum". University of Waterloo. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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