St. Jacobs, Ontario, is a charming suburban community nestled in the township of Woolwich, within the Waterloo Regional Municipality. Located north of the city of Waterloo, St. Jacobs is a popular tourist destination, renowned for its quaint ambiance, retail offerings, and rich Mennonite heritage. The Waterloo Region is home to the largest population of Old Order Mennonites in Canada, particularly in the areas around St. Jacobs and Elmira. The Conestogo River, which powered the village's original mills in the 1850s, runs through the village. As of the 2016 Census, St. Jacobs had a growing population of 1,988 people.
The areas surrounding St. Jacobs were initially settled by two communities, Conestoga and Winterbourne. The former was primarily Germanic, like St. Jacobs, while the latter was predominantly English and Scots. The settlement on the Conestogo River began in 1830, with early settlers including the Simon Cress family, Abraham Erb, and John B. Baumann (or Bauman). A significant influx of settlers, primarily Mennonites from Pennsylvania, didn't occur until the early 1850s. These settlers, often referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch, were known as "Old Order" Mennonites due to their conservative lifestyle.
The first sawmill was built to the west of the village in 1844 by Valentine Ratz, and the first school was founded in the same year. Jacob C. Snider, of Swiss German descent, built a sawmill, a flour-mill, and a woollen-mill by 1852, after having built a dam. These features helped to attract others to the small community. The village was named Jakobstettel (Jacob's Village) in honour of Snider. The St. was added to the name Jacob simply to make it sound more pleasing; the pluralization was in honour of the combined efforts of Jacob C. Snider (1791–1865) and his son, Jacob C. Snider, Jr. (1822–1857).
By 1851, the village had a flour mill, a hotel, a blacksmith, a general store, and a cooperage. The first post office opened in 1852, and the village was incorporated in the same year. By 1855, the population had grown to 400, and there were four hotels, including Benjamins, which still stands today. In 1871, E.W.B. Snider bought the flour mill and promoted hydro electricity and other milling operations. The river helped power mills and a woolen factory and a tannery; by then, the school had 66 students.
In the early 1900s, North Waterloo County - the Kitchener, Waterloo, St. Jacobs, Elmira area - exhibited a strong German culture. Those of German origin (from Pennsylvania or direct from Europe) made up a third of the population in 1911. Lutherans were the primary religious group, with nearly three times as many Lutherans as Mennonites.
The Home Hardware company, founded in 1963, can trace its roots back to the 1880s in St. Jacobs. A tinsmith shop was opened and later sold to Henry Gilles, who added a blacksmith shop and hardware store. In 1933, Henry Sittler took over as manager of the hardware business. In 1938, Walter J. Hachborn began working for the company while still a teenager. Hachborn served in WWII, where he worked as a warehouse foreman, learning new skills. After the war, he guided Sittler in buying military surplus goods. In 1949, Hachborn and Sittler bought Hollinger Hardware. The business grew rapidly, and new premises were bought, also in St. Jacobs. This eventually led to the Canada-wide dealer-owned cooperative business with the Home Hardware head office and the massive distribution centre in St. Jacobs.
The Millrace Footpath, a recreational trail that forms part of the Trans Canada Trail, runs along the Conestogo River from the Village of St. Jacobs to a dam further up the river. The trail offers many scenic views of the river and of the millrace constructed in the 1860s that used to power the village's gristmill. The village also has an arena and community centre, as well as a library originally built in 1934 and financed by a private donation. There are also numerous parks and green spaces, making St. Jacobs a perfect destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
