Pioneer Tower West in Kitchener in Waterloo Region, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Pioneer Tower West
The Walter Bean Grand River Trail
Photographed by Tim Boyd, October 19, 2024
1. Pioneer Tower West Marker
Inscription.
Pioneer Tower West. . Before it was settled by Mennonite pioneers, the area now known as Pioneer Tower West was part of a large tract of land set aside by the British Crown in 1784 as a reserve for the Six Nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora). In 1796, Six Nations sold 38,000 hectares to Colonel Richard Beasley, a United Empire Loyalist. Beasley, in turn, offered the land (known as Block 2) for sale. Although located far from centres of commerce, Block 2 appealed to a particular group of Mennonite farmers who were looking for inexpensive land to build a new community where they could freely practice their religious beliefs., In 1800, Samuel Betzner Jr. purchased 160 hectares of Beasley's land west of the Grand River. Joseph Schoerg purchased 105 hectares on the east side of the river, three miles upstream, and Samuel Betzner Sr. purchased 60 hectares adjacent to the Schoerg property. Together, the Schoerg (later spelled Sherk) and Betzner families established the first permanent, non-aboriginal settlement in what would become Waterloo Township., Located in front of you, on the ridge overlooking the Grand River, are the Schoerg and Betzner farmhouses and the remnants of the outbuildings. These historic structures are characteristic of Pennsylvania Mennonite farmsteads of the 18th and 19th centuries. The two farmhouses (circa 1830) are built in the Mennonite Georgian style. This style typically comprises a rectangular plan, two and a half storeys, a simple gabled roof, and a central door with an equal number of windows on each side., Following the traditional European Mennonite style, the bank barn was built into the side of a hill, permitting entrances on two levels. Livestock were housed in the stone-walled lower level while the wooden-planked upper level was used to store hay, straw and feed grains., The fact that many of the principal buildings of the farmsteads have withstood two centuries of time indicates the skill and practices of the Pennsylvania German Mennonites who first settled this area.
Before it was settled by Mennonite pioneers, the area now known as Pioneer Tower West was part of a large tract of land set aside by the British Crown in 1784 as a reserve for the Six Nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora). In 1796, Six Nations sold 38,000 hectares to Colonel Richard Beasley, a United Empire Loyalist. Beasley, in turn, offered the land (known as Block 2) for sale. Although located far from centres of commerce, Block 2 appealed to a particular group of Mennonite farmers who were looking for inexpensive land to build a new community where they could freely practice their religious beliefs.
In 1800, Samuel Betzner Jr. purchased 160 hectares of Beasley's land west of the Grand River. Joseph Schoerg purchased 105 hectares on the east side of the river, three miles upstream, and Samuel Betzner Sr. purchased 60 hectares adjacent to the Schoerg property. Together, the Schoerg (later spelled Sherk) and Betzner families established the first
permanent, non-aboriginal settlement in what would become Waterloo Township.
Located in front of you, on the ridge overlooking the Grand River,
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are the Schoerg and Betzner farmhouses and the remnants of the outbuildings.
These historic structures are characteristic of Pennsylvania Mennonite farmsteads of the 18th and 19th centuries. The two farmhouses (circa 1830) are built in the Mennonite Georgian style.
This style typically comprises a rectangular plan, two and a half storeys, a simple gabled roof, and a central door with an equal number of windows on each side.
Following the traditional European Mennonite style, the bank barn was built into the side of a hill, permitting entrances on two levels. Livestock were housed in the stone-walled lower level while the wooden-planked upper level was used to store hay, straw and feed grains.
The fact that many of the principal buildings of the farmsteads have withstood two centuries of time indicates the skill and practices of the Pennsylvania German Mennonites who first settled this area.
Location. 43° 24.033′ N, 80° 24.96′ W. Marker is in Kitchener,
Photographed by Tim Boyd, October 19, 2024
2. Pioneer Tower West Marker
Ontario, in Waterloo Region. It is in Pioneer Tower West. It is on Lookout Lane 0.3 kilometers south of Deer Ridge Drive, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Lookout Ln, Kitchener ON N2P 2S6, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Huron-Perth-Waterloo-Wellington Area and in Southwestern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Ruperts Land.
As with most things, the first settlers story isnt as straight-forward as this sounds. Ezra Eby, in the introduction to his Biographical History of 1895, notes that three fur traders, named Dodge, Preston, and Woodward, had previously established themselves in temporary quarters in the area. He goes on to say that, while Preston and Woodward eventually left, Dodge remained and became a permanent landmark of the community.
(Submitted on October 26, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 29, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 26, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 161 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 26, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
