New Hamburg’s architectural heritage is evident in the many exquisite and well cared for Victorian homes that can be found in the downtown area.
The first inhabitants of this settlement harnessed the power of the Nith River to turn the water wheels that produced the power for their mills. To commemorate this past the residents have erected a Heritage Waster Wheel, the 15 ft wheel is supposedly the largest operating water wheel in North America.
In 1834 a grist mill built by Josiah Cushman formed the nucleus around which a group of Amish Mennonites settled. The completion of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856 saw the community develop as an important centre for milling and farm machinery production.
