Life Upstairs

Stories from Brubacher House's live-in hosts

Harvesting at Brubacher House

Over the years, Brubacher House hosts have harvested from several areas of the museum’s property. From maple syrup in the spring to the fall vegetable harvest, there is always lots of locally grown food to eat.

Joshua Enns collecting maple sap, March 2018.

Laura and Joshua Enns (2017-present)

Canned maple syrup from the Brubacher House grounds, March 2019.

Laura and Joshua Enns (2017-present)

Crab Apples

Crab apple trees on the lawn of Brubacher House, Spring 1993.

Howard and Carol Gimbel (1991-1994)

Apple blossoms, 1996.

Arlyn and Judith Friesen Epp (1994-2000)

“Jennie experimented with heritage canning and preserving recipes, and displayed the wares in the basement pantry cupboard. Crabapple jelly was the most successful and most delicious. The recipe was often requested and shared (1 cup sugar to 1 cup juice from cooked, quartered crabapples. Boil juice/sugar mixture until it sheets off a spoon. Pour into hot jars.)”

Colin and Jennie Wiebe (2000-2004)

“The crab apple trees were loaded! We picked them, gave away, and canned them.” 1985

Ida Habermehl and Dorothy Bean (1982-1986)

Crab apple harvest, 2019

Laura and Joshua Enns (2017-present)

Vegetable garden

Gimbels’ garden, 1993.

Howard and Carol Gimbel (1991-1994)

Excerpts from Dorothy Bean’s diary:

May 14, 1983: Dug more flower beds and planted onions and sweet peas.

June 8, 1983: Planted Seneca Chief corn and onion sets.

July 13, 1983: Picked 1st peas.

August 28, 1983: To Erb St. Ida and I spoke to the children on “Our garden”. Had basket of flowers and veggies.

March 29, 1986: Dug parsnips out of garden.

October 2, 1986: In afternoon went to Brubacher House to clean up garden. Pulled up carrots, beets, potatoes, tomatoes and horse radish.

Ida Habermehl and Dorothy Bean (1982-1986)

The Maitlands’ garden, April 1980.

Nancy and Ted Maitland (1977-1982)

Four Square Garden, July 2019.

Laura and Joshua Enns (2017-present)

Fall harvest, October 2019.

Laura and Joshua Enns (2017-present)

Berries

The first July harvest of raspberries from the garden, July 2013.

Jacquie and Karl Reimer (2013-2017)

Elderberry tree on Brubacher House grounds, September 2006.

Bethany and Brandon Leis (2006-2009)

University of Waterloo,
North Campus
Frank Tompa Drive
Waterloo, ON
N2L 3G6

Phone (519) 886-3855
Email: bhouse@uwaterloo.ca

Operated by Conrad Grebel University College and the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario. Owned by the University of Waterloo.

The Brubacher House is situated on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (Neutral), Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. The house was built in 1850 on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted in 1784 to the Six Nations that includes 10 kilometres on each side of the Grand River from its source in Dundalk to its mouth at Lake Erie.

Joshua and Laura Enns

2017-Present

Joshua and Laura are the current live-in hosts at Brubacher House.

This article, published shortly after they moved in, details some of Laura and Joshua’s reasons for wanting to become Brubacher House hosts.

They had spent the previous year-and-a-half living and travelling in the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. Visiting so many museums and historic sites really renewed their interest in history–particularly their own Mennonite family histories. And volunteering with Christian Intentional Communities, like the Iona Community in Scotland, opened their eyes to the ways in which heritage buildings could offer a sense of place, vitality, meaning, and rootedness to faith groups, community arts, and social justice movements. As a recent MA Community Music graduate, Laura was dreaming about historic buildings in Waterloo where she could organize community programming around the arts, faith, ecology, and history. She was familiar with Brubacher House because of her experiences volunteering there as a youth on Canada Day, while Brandon and Bethany Leis were hosts. Brubacher House seemed like a hidden gem with lots of potential. Amazingly, around the same time that they started talking about this vision, the host position became available, and they applied! They interviewed from a youth hostel in Athens, and ended their trip early in order to start their term as hosts.

Howard and Carol Gimbel

1991-1994

Howard and Carol Gimbel were approached by the Brubacher House Committee to consider hosting at Brubacher House. The Gimbels were interested in the idea and thought that Brubacher House fit in with their desire to do voluntary service. Howard was adventuresome and liked people and was more involved in providing the tours. The couple completed two terms at Brubacher House while renting out their home on Bridge Street.

The photo above shows Howard and Carol Gimbel at the Brubacher House display for Heritage Week 1991, at Conestoga Mall.

Arlyn and Judith Friesen Epp

1994-2000

Arlyn and Judith Friesen Epp were moving to Waterloo to complete their university studies and were looking for affordable student housing and employment opportunities. A contact of theirs linked them to Brubacher House. Judith was drawn to the beauty of the space and the chance to be rooted in some of Waterloo County’s history and geography. Arlyn was enrolled to finish his BA in History (specializing in Mennonite history) and one of his favourite summer employment gigs was conducting tours of his hometown. They had just finished a pastoral assignment and were glad to continue working together as a couple.

Colin and Jennie Wiebe

2000-2004

Colin and Jennie Wiebe were asked by Paul Penner, Chair of the Brubacher House Committee, to take on the role of hosts. At that time, the North Campus around Brubacher House had a 9-hole golf course and fields. Moving there was like living in the country again, which is where Colin and Jennie both grew up. It also fit well with Jennie’s summer job as an agricultural interpreter at Doon Heritage Village. It was too good an opportunity to pass up!

Ida Habermehl and Dorothy Bean

1982-1986

Ida Habermehl and Dorothy Bean began their retirement as the first “live-in custodian-hostesses” of Brubacher House. In a letter from Brubacher House committee member Lorna Bergey, these two women were asked whether they were planning to retire immediately into rocking chairs with their knitting or could they be interested in becoming involved with an interesting project for the next few years?

In a letter to Nelson Scheifele, Dorothy and Ida stated: “We have an active interest in our roots and in the preservation of Mennonite history. Our memories go back to grandparents who lived in the 19th century, building homes, rearing families in that century and giving us a ‘goodly heritage’….To be involved in meeting individuals who are interested in this era and interpreting this life to tourists is exciting and a real challenge for us.”

Nancy and Ted Maitland

1977-1982

Nancy Saunders lived at Brubacher House as the first staff person on site. Her initial role was as live-in custodian and consultant/curator of the Mennonite Farmhouse. Nancy lived there before the museum was established in 1979. With a low-operating budget for this museum project, Conrad Grebel College altered her role to custodian responsibilities, in exchange for free rent at Brubacher House. The tours were conducted primarily by Lorna Bergey as well as other volunteers from the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario. In 1980, Nancy married and lived with her husband Ted Maitland in the apartment until 1982.

Karl and Jacquie Reimer

2013-2017

The Brubacher House host position became available about eight months after Jacquie and Karl finished their undergrads. Jacquie was still job searching, and after completing (most of) a history undergrad it seemed like an exciting opportunity. They knew very little about Brubacher House before their interview. During their undergraduate degrees, while living on campus at UW, they had no idea the house was even owned or operated by UW. In the end, the opportunity to be storytellers and welcome so many different people to the house, plus the amazing living space and location were the things that made them say “yes!”

Brandon and Bethany Leis

2006-2009

Bethany Leis had recently completed her Mennonite Studies minor at Conrad Grebel University College and the host position was a great connector between her schooling and life. The setting and location along with an exchange of free rent for hosting duties seemed like a wonderful way to live in the city, save money, work and continue education in a master’s program when newly married.