Prince Edward County is a peninsula that juts out into Lake Ontario. This gives it a slightly different climate than the area to its north. That has resulted in good crop farming land and a burgeoning wine industry.
The county was created by the colonial government in 1792 and named after the fourth son of King George III, Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent. As with the lands to the east, it was largely settled by United Empire Loyalists after the American Revolution.
The name, Picton, is in honour of General Sir Thomas Picton, who served in the British Army fighting Napoleon and died at the Battle of Waterloo. It was originally named Hallowell as will be described below.
A British Commonwealth Air Training Base from the Second World War is not far from here. That later became Camp Pictron where soldiers heading to Korea and Cold War Europe were trained.
