Near Port Rowan in Norfolk County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

The Long Point Settlement

Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 8, 2024

1. The Long Point Settlement Marker

Inscription. Long Point was known to traders and travellers before the area was purchased from the Mississauga Indians in 1784. In this unsurveyed area twenty to thirty "squatters" had settled by 1791, some of whom were allowed to remain following surveys and Governor Simcoe's visit in 1795. Further land grants were made to approved applicants, including many Loyalists. During the War of 1812 General Brock raised militia volunteers here for the attack on Detroit. The settlement's farms and mills, until ravaged in 1814 by U.S troops, helped supply the armed forces. By 1825 the “Long Point Settlement" was prospering again and in 1837 its seven townships became part of the new Talbot District.

Erected by Archaeological and Historic Sites Board of Ontario.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Settlements & Settlers • War of 1812. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Trust series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1784.

Location. 42° 37.575′ N, 80° 29.16′ W. Marker is near Port Rowan, Ontario, in Norfolk County. It is on Norfolk County Highway 59 South 0.4 kilometers north of 1st Concession Road, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1417 Norfolk County Hwy 59 S, Port Rowan ON N0E 1M0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Southwest Ontario Area

and in Southwestern Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Port Rowan Cenotaph (approx. 2.9 kilometers away); The Heroine of Long Point (approx. 2.9 kilometers away); Our Oldest Heritage (approx. 3 kilometers away); Port Rowan History (approx. 3 kilometers away); Long Point Biosphere (approx. 3 kilometers away); Long Point Bay (approx. 3 kilometers away); Long Point (approx. 3 kilometers away); Bird Studies Canada (approx. 3.1 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Rowan.

Also see . . . Who were the Long Point Settlers?.

The Long Point Settlers were the earliest pioneers who opened up Norfolk County, Ontario. This comprised the present townships of Walsingham, Charlotteville, Woodhouse, Townsend, Windham, Middleton and Houghton. Their settlement and designation took this name from Long Point, a prominent sand spit stretching far out into Lake Erie in front of Norfolk County, viewable on all maps of the lake. The earliest mention of Long Point as a desirable settlement came from John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (present day Ontario) in 1792: "Applications have already been made for lands near to Long Point on Lake Erie, where I have always projected to establish a Military Colony as being situated opposite to Presque Isle, the most practicable
Photographed by Tim Boyd, July 8, 2024

2. The Long Point Settlement Marker
route from the United States."

(Submitted on July 12, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)

Long Point, ca 1796, the arrows about the “5” showing Gov. Simcoe’s route there in Sept. 1795 image. Click for full size.

3. Long Point, ca 1796, the arrows about the “5” showing Gov. Simcoe’s route there in Sept. 1795

1815

4. The Long Point Settlement in 1815.

Source: Brock University

Credits. This page was last revised on March 25, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 12, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 678 times since then and 117 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 12, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.