The Founding of Hallowell

Commemoration

Here, in a secure harbour at the head of Picton Bay, several roads converged during the 1790s, including a portage to Lake Ontario. It thus became a natural shipping and distribution centre for the peninsula and, by 1811, a small community had been well established. This settlement, named “Hallowell" after a Loyalist from Massachusetts, grew rapidly after 1818 when the use of steamers made the harbour more accessible. In 1823-25, the Reverend William Macaulay laid out an adjacent village site that he named "Picton." The latter became the judicial and administrative centre of the District of Prince Edward in 1831. The two communities amalgamated in 1837 and were incorporated as the Town of Picton.