THE STEINER HOUSE

The Steiner House (c. 1857)

Built around 1857, the Steiner House is one of the oldest buildings in St. Jacobs and predates much of the village's early industrial development. Originally constructed by John Wideman, the building likely served as both a butcher shop and family residence.

Named for the Steiner family, who owned the property for eighty years, the house remains one of the finest examples of vernacular Georgian architecture in Waterloo Region. During renovations, workers discovered a child's shoe hidden inside a wall—a traditional German good-luck charm believed to protect the home and its occupants. More than 165 years after it was built, the Steiner House remains a landmark of St. Jacobs' earliest days.