The Founding of Cornwall
In June 1784 disbanded Loyalist soldiers and their families settled at New Johnstown, the site of present-day Cornwall. Initially called Pointe Maligne, the area had been visited by native traders and French missionaries and explorers during the 17th and early 18th centuries. In 1794 Cornwall was designated a judicial and administrative centre for the Eastern District and by 1805 contained a court house, a schoolhouse, two churches and numerous dwellings. The community grew gradually and was incorporated in 1834. The construction of the Cornwall Canal in 1834-42 accelerated its development. With the erection of mills and large factories along the canal's course, Cornwall emerged by the end of the century as a significant industrial centre in Eastern Ontario and as a distinctive bicultural community.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Ontario Plaques. Full page here.