The Elam Martin Farmhouse is a designated heritage building now owned by the City of Waterloo. Before that it was passed down through 6 generations of the Martin family - Mennonite immigrants who purchased this 18.5 acre plot of land in 1820. While the first house no longer stands, the house you see now was built in 1856 in the “Mennonite Georgian” style. It is one of the very few original Mennonite farmhouses left within the city limits.

The smaller house is called a “doddy house” and was likely where the grandparents lived after passing the home down to their children. The other 15 buildings on the property include a privy (or outhouse), a smoke house, a wagon shed, a butchering shed, two silos and a barn.