Located midway between Ft. Erie and Port Colborne on the Niagara Penninsula in Ontario, Canada in what was formerly Humberstone Township, this was the property where Jacob and Catherine (Spoo) Goergen settled about 1850.
The Heritage Homestead project is a memorial to them and to all of our immigrant ancestors who left their homes overseas and traveled to ‘America’ in search of a better life. I want my children, grandchildren and all my descendants to be to experience and appreciate the blessings in their lives because of the immigration of these ancestors.
Buildings On The Property
The loghome on the corner of Neff and Forkes was the home of Jacob and Catherine Goergen. Nine children were born in the home; three died in infancy, two left no issue. We have traced the descendants of the other four Goergen daughters: Mary Seitz, Eve Winger, Susan Beam and Kate Weaver. The location of the home is exactly as it was in 1850. Although part of the building had been separated, the foundation and location of the fireplace in the summer kitchen were uncovered during the restoration and the buildings restored correctly.
The barn was moved from the property of one Goergen daughter (Mary Seitz wife of John Seitz) which was on the 3rd Concession in Humberstone. During the restoration, parts of other barns had to be used to complete the building. However, the foundation of the original barn and the barn well were located! The barn and well were placed in the original locations. Also, the drive shed foundation was found. Although no parts of that building remained, a small barn driveshed was restored from a barn in nearby Wainfleet, Ontario.
The smokehouse, chicken coop and corn crib are all original buildings that would have been located on the property when Jacob and Catherine lived there, but were found on nearby farms and moved to Heritage Homestead.
The loghome which is the museum was assembled from logs from a loghome belonging to my maternal great grandparents, Thomas and Margaret (Lytle) Jenkinson. The logs and other parts were transported from Ashton, Ontario to the Heritage Homestead property. Again parts from other buildings were needed to complete the restoration. of the Jenkinson loghome. The Hall was added as an additional meeting place on the property.
The new house and garage on the east side of the property was built as a caretakers home and place for JAMS family members to stay when visiting the property. Over the years, many changes have been made to improve this building for our use.
What we call the Yager House across from Heritage Homestead, was moved from the corner of Yager and Forkes Road. The home and barn formerly on that property burned down before I purchased those acres. The Yager House was restored and modernized to add to the overall appearance of the Heritage Homestead project and create another residence possibly for those maintaining Heritage Homestead.