The Joseph Schneider Haus Museum and Gallery is a dynamic community museum in downtown Kitchener. The heart of the complex is the fine Geo
an frame farmhouse built by one of the area's first pioneers, Joseph Schneider, a Pennsylvania-German Mennonite. A local landmark and Kitchener's oldest dwelling, the c. 1816 homestead was restored and furnished and opened as a living history museum in 1981.
Adjacent to the museum is a modern wing which houses administrative support areas, exhibit galleries, programming space, an artifact vault and a resource library. Among the museum's stored collections is the prestigious Canadian Harvest Collection of German-Canadian Folk Art which preserves significant artifacts from areas of Germanic settlement across Canada.
Programs and events
The museum offers a wide range of programs and professional services designed to educate and to entertain.
Summer Camps at Joseph Schneider Haus
DAMSELS AND DRAGON DAYS
Summer Camp for Young Lairds and Ladies five to seven years old
Join us for a fun filled week of stories, crafts and games. Create a scaly dragon, build castles, craft puppets and put on a play complete with knights, dragons and fair damsels.
Date: August 13-17, 2012
Time: 9 a.m. until noon
Cost: $16 per morning or $75 for the week. Morning snack included.
Deadline to register: Friday, August 3, 2012
Location: Joseph Schneider Haus Museum, 466 Queen St. S., Kitchener.
Phone: 519-742-7752 to register.
"THINGS I LEARNED AT GRANDMOTHERS KNEE"
A week of intergenerational fun - August 20-24, 1-4 p.m.
Date: August 20-24, 2012
Have you ever wanted to step back in time and try your hand at the skilled jobs of the 19th century? Now is your chance to try open hearth cooking, baking bread in an historic wood fired oven or learning about the plants grown in a 19th-century garden.
Learn how to use a draw knife while working at the schnitzelbank. Help to make rope, then learn how it is put to use for such purposes as roping a bed. Join the skilled staff of Schneider Haus as we share some of the things learned at Grandmothers (or Grandfathers) knee.
Ages: For children eight to 12, accompanied by an adult young at heart.
Cost: Daily registration $30 for adult and child, or by the week $125 for adult and child.
Deadline to register: Friday, August 10, 2012.
Location: Joseph Schneider Haus Museum, 466 Queen St., S., Kitchener.
Phone: 519-742-7752 to register.
We're Making History at Joseph Schneider Haus
The staff of Joseph Schneider Haus have been delivering educational excellence for 30 years. Our distinctive curriculum-based program and innovated short-term educational experiences have enthused and enlightened students and teachers alike since the Museum opened in 1981.
Kinder Kraft - Saturday and Sunday
Drop in any Saturday or Sunday afternoon between 1 and 4 p.m. for a different craft, activity or scavenger hunt.
Please call the Museum at 519-742-7752 for more information.
General admission rates apply. Adults $2.25, Seniors/Students $1.50, Children $1.25, Family $5.
Folk Artist-In-Residence 2012
The Friends of Joseph Schneider Haus sponsor the annual Folk Artist-in-Residence Program, designed to support the efforts of local artists and artisans working in traditional crafts and trades. The Friends are pleased to introduce F.A.I.R 2012 Debbie Thompson Wilson, Miniature Painter and Limner. Debbie begins her residency with the exhibit The Illustrated Alphabet: Everyman's ABC Feb. 18 to June 10, 2012.
In the Galleries
Feb. 18 to June 10
The Illustrated Alphabet: Everyman's ABC
An intimate look at the alphabet from A to Z through illuminated letters, printed ABCs and other early educational aids.
April 21 to Aug. 30
Crokinole: A Waterloo County Classic
Waterloo County has produced some of the most skilful players! No, we're not talking about hockey but another of Canada's indigenous games, one that may have been invented right here - Crokinole! Visit the Museum, learn more about the game and view vintage boards, including the world's oldest!
May 5 to June 3
Quilts in the Historic House
In a variation of our Quilt Block Contest theme What's in a Name?, we will explore the patterns and names associated with the vintage quilts we display in the historic house this May.
Wednesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday 1 to 5 p.m.
Monday, May 21 and Tuesday, May 22 also from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
General admission rates apply. Adults $2.25, Seniors/Students $1.50, Children $1.25, Family $5.
Student Interpreter Activity
Students visiting the haus with their class will receive a Student Interpreter Pass with a link to Student Interpreter Activity
Show your pass for free admission for you and an adult. Take part in the Student Interpreter Activity to test your skills and have some fun!
Contact us
Joseph Schneider Haus
Kitchener, ON N2G 1W7
Phone:519-742-7752
Fax: 519-742-0089
Hours of operation
- Wednesday to Saturday - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sunday - 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission
- Adults $2.25
- Seniors/Students $1.50
- Children $1.25
- Family $5
Free parking is located across the street and the museum is accessible by transit routes 2, 8, 24 and 25. The main floor of the historic house and exhibit galleries is wheelchair accessible. A written guide is available for those unable to access the second floor.
