THE FARMERS INN

Joseph Bechtel Eby (1821–1901) was a Mennonite innkeeper and early community figure in St. Jacobs who played a central role in the village’s social and commercial life. In 1852, he built an inn on this site known as the Farmers Inn, serving travellers, farmers, and merchants moving between nearby settlements and rural routes. As St. Jacobs grew, the inn expanded and later became known as the Dominion Hotel, a name it carried into the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

For more than 150 years, this location has remained a place of hospitality, food, and gathering, reflecting the village’s long tradition of community connection. While the building and its businesses have evolved over time, its role as a welcoming stop for residents and travellers has remained constant since Eby first established it in the mid-1800s.