Hosts Jennie and Colin Wiebe leave Brubacher House

Monday, February 2, 2004

I love seeing the looks on people’s faces when I say ‘I live in a museum’. ‘In?’ Yes, in,

says Jennie Wiebe (BES ’99) who is a live-in host at Brubacher House Museum with her husband Colin (BASc in Mechanical Engineering, 2001; MASc in Biomechanics, 2003). Living at Brubacher House, situated on the University of Waterloo north campus, is as close to living on a farm as you can get when you’re in the city.

In fact, [adds Jennie,] being so close to ‘city things’ like theatre, music, and specialty shops without feeling like we were in suburbia has been nice.

Jennie and Colin Wiebe with Naomi family portrait
The Brubacher House was built in 1850 on new farmland in a style typical of Pennsylvania German architecture. Farming continued on the land until 1965 when the property was purchased as part of the University of Waterloo. University of Waterloo decided to preserve and restore one of the twelve original farm homes on the campus in recognition of the Pennsylvania German culture which was represented on the farmlands it purchased, and as a reminder that the total 1,000 acres of the university campus was once owned by Mennonites and devoted to agriculture.

The furnishings in the museum are an authentic reflection of the 1850-90 period, many of them having been collected from area Mennonite families. Museum tours talk about the life of a Pennsylvania German Mennonite family during the mid-nineteenth century, and include a video presentation showing a Mennonite barn-raising and an historical depiction of the settling of Waterloo County. The museum is open May 1 - October 31, Wednesday - Saturday: 2:00 - 5:00 pm, and tours are also available by appointment at other times throughout the year.

Jennie and Colin have lived at Brubacher House for almost 4 years. Their interest in local history was an important factor in deciding to live at the house, in addition to the country feel of the area. At the time, Jennie was working at Doon Heritage Crossroads, and

that just fit too nicely.

She was able to use background information from Doon in the tours at the house, and in the museum vegetable garden.

Ultimately though, the farm-like feel of Brubacher House was not enough for Jennie and Colin. They wanted the real thing! So this spring, they (with their 8 month old daughter Naomi) will be moving to Pelee Island, one of the most southerly parts in all of Canada, to do organic farming. They will be farm managers of a new Demonstration Farm on the island - planting, growing, weeding, and harvesting vegetables for a new farmers market, and overseeing the meadows, wetlands, and nut trees on the property. Colin also hopes to work with Islanders in experimenting with alternate forms of energy in the hopes of someday replacing the current source, a single cable that runs underwater from the mainland.

Of Brubacher House life Jennie and Colin will miss many things, in particular “Ted the grounds guy”, meeting new people and most of all giving tours to children.

They ask the best questions, [says Jennie,] and their interest in what you’re telling them is so genuine. Our favourite part of a children’s tour is showing them the chamber pot!

And yet the Wiebes are looking forward to the change. Moving to Pelee will give them a chance to pursue their long-held dream of practicing and teaching sustainable agriculture and of sharing their love of the land with others. In their opinion,

There is nothing better than sitting down with friends to a meal grown in your own back yard, seasoned with your own hard work. What better way to enjoy the ‘fruits of your labour’?