Description of Historic Place

The Hostetler House is located at 1145 Christner Road, on the south side of Christner Road, north of the Village of New Hamburg, between Wilmot-Easthope Road and the Village of Luxemburg, now the Township of Wilmot. The two-and-a-half-storey limestone farmhouse was constructed in 1860, as well as various outbuildings.

The property was designated, by the Township of Wilmot, in 1989, for its historic and architectural value and interest, under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 89-66).

Heritage Value

The outbuildings surrounding the Hostetler House provide an important insight into how an early pioneering farm operated. These buildings include a brick smokehouse, a brick summer kitchen, and a woodshed. The Hostetler House and property is situated immediately adjacent to another pioneer farmstead, the Christner House. These two properties contribute greatly to the historic rural landscape of the Township.

The Hostetler House is associated with Moses Hostetler, a pioneer of the North Wilmot district and an advocate for education. It was upon Hostetler's request that a school was established, to serve the community's children, in the mid-19th century. Moses' son Levi was also a well-known local resident. He became treasurer of New Hamburg in 1919 and was also the manager of the New Hamburg Telephone exchange from 1924 until 1936.

The Hostetler House is a fine example of a Georgian farmhouse constructed with cut stone. A local craftsman, Hyacinth Roth, who was known for his fine cut stone designs, built the house in 1860. Typical of Georgian Farmhouses in Wilmot Township, the house is constructed of irregularly coursed and cut granite fieldstone. The detailed cut limestone quoins, lintels and sills off set the darker granite. The first-storey of the five-bay façade features a central door flanked by two double-hung windows and covered with a portico supported by fluted Doric columns and featuring a decorated frieze. The second-storey has five double-hung windows and a limestone date stone that sits above the central window.

Source: Township of Wilmot By-law 89-66.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Hostetler house include its:
- 1860 date stone above the central window of the north elevation
- distinctive fine-cut stone design of German builder, Hyacinth Roth
- five-bay façade
- north and west elevations constructed of cut and coursed irregular granite fieldstone
- double-hung windows on the north and west elevations
- limestone quoins, and cut limestone lintels and sills
- gable roof
- front portico with fluted Doric columns and decorated frieze
- brick smokehouse
- brick summer kitchen
- woodshed
- proximity to the Christner House
- siting in a rural area