THE FARMERS INN

Joseph Bechtel Eby was a Mennonite innkeeper, entrepreneur, and early community leader who played a central role in shaping the social and commercial life of St. Jacobs. In 1852, Eby built an inn on this site known as the Farmer’s Inn, creating a welcoming stop for travellers, farmers, and merchants travelling between nearby settlements and rural routes. The inn quickly became an important gathering place in the growing village, reflecting the strong sense of community and connection that continues to define St. Jacobs today.

That same year marked another significant milestone in the village’s history with the establishment of the St. Jacobs Post Office on February 6, 1852, with Joseph Eby appointed as its first Postmaster. The opening of the post office formally recognized St. Jacobs as an established community and connected residents with the broader region, helping support the village’s continued growth and development.

As St. Jacobs evolved, Eby’s original inn expanded and later became known as the Dominion Hotel, a name it carried through the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For more than 150 years, this location has remained a place of hospitality, food, and gathering. While the building and its businesses have changed over time, its role as a welcoming destination for residents and visitors has remained constant since Eby first established it in the mid-1800s.

Today, visitors can still see the historic watering pump and trough outside the front of the building.

Now: Home to Cellar 52