Neustadt, Ontario

Neustadt
Unincorporated community
The village sign as of 2008
Coordinates: 44°05′N 81°00′W / 44.08°N 81°W / 44.08; -81Coordinates: 44°05′N 81°00′W / 44.08°N 81°W / 44.08; -81
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Grey County
Township	West Grey
Established	1856
Population
• Total	545
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Forward sortation area	N
Area code(s)	519 and 226

Neustadt is a community in the municipality of West Grey in Grey County in southern Ontario, Canada. The village is located south of Hanover on Grey Road 10 and north of Guelph, Ontario and Kitchener, Ontario. Neustadt is a picturesque rural Ontario village with German roots and a village history full of vibrant farming culture. In their April 2000 edition, Harrowsmith Magazine named Neustadt one of Canada's ten prettiest villages as evidenced by the historic 19th century Victorian farmhouses highlighting Gothic Revival architecture. Neustadt has also been featured in Country Living. Adding to Neustadt's charm are various fieldstone buildings such as Neustadt Springs Brewery, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, and the tavern on the village's main street.

The village’s name, Neustadt, is of German origin and it translates to “new town”. It was founded in 1856 by David Winkler, a settler from Germany. He purchased 400 acres from the government, laid out the town-site, dammed Meux Creek and completed a sawmill. A flour mill and grist mill were also erected near the dam the following year. Many other German speaking settlers began arriving immediately. Winkler also became the founder of many other institutions. He opened the first post office in 1857, and acted as postmaster, a position he held until 1878. Later he became a Justice of the Peace and eventually, Reeve of Normanby Township. In 1870, Winkler lost a leg in a runaway horse accident and died seven years later.

John Weinert, a saddle maker from Prussia, moved into Neustadt in 1859 and proceeded to establish a tannery on the north side of William Street. By 1861, he had added a boot and shoe factory and soon was supplying footwear to the settlers. As craftsman flocked to the area, Neustadt soon attracted one Henry Huether, a German immigrant from Baden, Germany. Huether first constructed a wooden frame Brewery until a fire in 1859 destroyed it. The brewery was reconstructed in fieldstone and reopened in 1869. The brewery continued to be open and successful until 1916 when it became a creamery. For many years it remained empty, being used by several community groups as variously a dance hall and farmer's market, until 1997 when it was reopened as Neustadt Springs Brewery; which currently brews ten brands of beer.