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Home | Settlement N | Neustadt, Ontario
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In their April 2000 edition, Harrowsmith Magazine named Neustadt one of Canada's ten prettiest villages. The village was founded in 1855 by David Winkler, a settler from Germany. He bought 400 acres (~162 ha) of land from the Government and set about laying out the new community. Local legend tells how subsequent town resident Henry Huether brought over 40 stonemasons from Germany, the descendants of who still live in the area. The village's name is of German origin and translates to "new town". The name of the village reflects the area's strong ties to German and Dutch settlers, with the nearby town of Hanover, Ontario bearing witness to this. The village boasts several restaurants, a general store, a branch of the West Grey Public Library, several antique and craft stores, as well as several art galleries. Among the notable attractions of the village is the award winning Neustadt Springs Brewery, a member of the Ontario Craft Brewers association. The brewery has gained fame in recent years for not only winning awards for their craft beer, but also for engaging in tourism related initiatives in both West Grey and Ontario. Underneath the brewery is the only remaining part of a network of small, walkable brick tunnels that Henry Huether created. Other notable attractions in the village include the former home of the family of late Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. Diefenbaker, who stayed in the house during his early months before moving, wrote about his recollections of Neustadt in his memoirs. The Diefenbaker House has now been turned into a museum devoted to the British and Canadian Royal Family, run and operated by the Canadian Royal Heritage Trust. In 2009, several village landmarks celebrated their 150th anniversaries. St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Neustadt Baptist Church and the Brewery each had celebrations to mark 150 years of operation. The Neustadt Baptist Church held live entertainment with the Johnson Qaurtet, and the Brewery held a large open house with a Toronto based Oompah band. These buildings were built from local stone in a European style by the German stonemasons who settled in the area during the construction of the Brewery. In 2000, the Village of Neustadt amalgamated with the Townships of Bentinck, Glenelg and Normanby to form the municipality of West Grey. Durham joined West Grey in 2001. |