Tavern Grounds

The Fryfogel Tavern sits on 5 acres of land on the outskirts of Shakespeare, Ontario, most of which is dedicated to the Arboretum, featuring trails, plants, and trees. You can read more about the history of our Morton certified Arboretum here. We use some of the various native plants, flowers, and berries for our teaching programs and fundraisers, so we ask that visitors leave them as they found them on the property.

Cairn

Just to the west of the tavern and our parking lot is a memorial cairn from 1928 to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the arrival of Sebastian Fryfogel and his family as the first European settlers in Perth County. Other cairns were put up along the Huron Tract for its own Centennial Celebration that took place September 3rd, 1928, including a cairn for Andrew and Eva Seebach, who, like Sebastian, started up an Inn on behalf of the Canada Company along the Huron Tract.

Sebastian’s great-grandson, Amos Fryfogel, was the owner of the property at the time and attended the unveiling of the cairn to the community. It marks the location of the original log building where the Fryfogel family lived and ran their inn out of from 1828 until the brick building you see today was erected in 1845. Those in attendance at this Labour Day event included Brigadier General Ernest Alexander Cruikshank of Ottawa, Chairman of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board, and Honorary Doctorate Joseph Dunsmore Monteith, Provincial Treasurer. Both men were speakers at the Fryfogel unveiling along with the official unveiler, J.M. Kincaid who was the Warden of Perth at the time.

In 1995, the cairn underwent some restoration work with the help of South Easthope Township stone mason Clare Baechler. It wasn't until 2021 that some more restoration work was due. Thanks to the students and instructors, Rene Letoile and Adrienne Barrett, of the 2021 graduating class of Conestoga College’s Construction Techniques Brick and Stone program for working hard to keep our cairn intact.

Flagpoles

Next to the cairn stands our three flagpoles which were generously contributed to the property by the Swiss Club of Thames Valley. We fly the official flags of Canada, Ontario, and Switzerland to acknowledge the origins of the Fryfogel family in Gelterkinden, Switzerland and their contribution to the community in Ontario, Canada. The flag unfurling and the unveiling of the poles took place August 17th, 2013 with the assistance of M.P. Gary Schellenberger of Perth Wellington, M.P.P. Randy Pettapiece of Perth Wellington, and President Walter Burkhardt of the Swiss Club of Thames Valley.

Tree Carving

Upon entering our parking lot, you can see a wooden carving to the right near the edge of the road. This was skillfully carved from a tree that stood on the property in May 2021 by Brenda Forthuber by utilizing a chainsaw and other carving tools.

Tombstones

Right next to the carved statue sits three tombstones. One for Sebastian Fryfogel, the original owner of the Fryfogel Tavern, one for his son Henry who died at the age of 6, and one for his father Hans Jakob who died when he was 72 from a falling tree limb. Their actual graves were located on Concession 1 Lot 13 which was the site of their family home until they were moved here in 1923. Only these three tombstones could be found, leaving the rest of the tombstones locations, most importantly Mary’s, unknown.

To see grave locations for other Fryfogel family members click here.

Cooking Pot

Placed at the back of our tavern, next to our main entrance, is a large cooking pot used for cooking stews generally of bear, moose, or deer meat. It is believed that this is the original pot used by the Fryfogel family when they moved here in 1828. Additionally, after the brick tavern was built it would have been placed outside the Basement Kitchen door for use during the hotter months so the building could stay cool.

Outhouses

The original outhouses that the Fryfogel family and their guests would have used are no longer around but would have sat much further back in the bush than the replicas you see today. The outhouses we do have are closer to the building but are not operational. They stand there to show visitors an example of outhouses at the time.