Belleville in Hastings County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Belleville

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 30, 2024

1. Belleville Marker

Inscription.
By 1790 the mill, tavern and stores established here near the Bay of Quinté had stimulated the growth of a settlement. Named “Belleville” in 1816, the village progressed steadily as a milling and shipping centre, and in 1834, the thriving community became a police village. The completion in 1856 of the Grand Trunk Railway between Toronto and Montreal, a booming lumber trade, and the development of a fertile agricultural hinterland fostered significant commercial and industrial growth in Belleville, which had become a town in 1850. Following the discovery of gold near Madoc in 1866, Belleville was known as the “golden gate” of Hastings County, and after 1872 became a major Canadian marketing centre for cheese. In 1877 it was incorporated as a city.

Erected by The Ontario Heritage Foundation, Ministry of Culture and Recreation.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Trust series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1816.

Location. 44° 9.526′ N,

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77° 22.946′ W. Marker is in Belleville, Ontario, in Hastings County. It can be reached from South Front Street just south of Dundas Street East (Provincial Highway 62). The marker is located at the north end of Victoria Park, on Victoria Park Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 86 South Front Street, Belleville ON K8N 5V7, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Ontario

and specifically in Southeastern 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. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Site of the Wharf Street Debating Club from 1921-2013 (about 150 meters away, measured in a direct line); Sir Mackenzie Bowell (about 210 meters away); Former Councillor Wolf Tausendfreund (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Site of the Historic Bogart-Carman Building / Site de l'edifice historique Bogart-Carman

Belleville Marker (<i>west side</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 30, 2024

2. Belleville Marker (west side)

Looking east from Victoria Park; South Front Street is in the background, on the opposite side of the marina.

(approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Market Square (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Belleville City Hall / L'Hôtel de ville de Belleville (approx. half a kilometer away); George Zegouras Market Square (approx. half a kilometer away); The Belle of the Bay / Strolling Meyers Pier (approx. half a kilometer away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Belleville.

More about this marker. Both sides of this marker have the same English inscription.

Also see . . .
1. Belleville, Ontario (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: Belleville is a city in Ontario, Canada situated on the eastern end of Lake Ontario, located at the mouth of the Moira River and on the Bay of Quinte. The settlement was first called Singleton's Creek after an early settler, George Singleton. Next it was called Meyer's Creek, after prominent settler and industrialist John Walden Meyers (1745–1821), one of the founders of Belleville. He built a sawmill and grist mill. After an 1816 visit to the settlement by colonial administrator Sir Francis Gore and his wife, Lady Annabella Gore, it was renamed as Belleville in her honour.

(Submitted on September 1, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. City of Belleville History.

Belleville Marker (<i>east side</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 30, 2024

3. Belleville Marker (east side)

Looking west from Victoria Park; Belleville Harbour is in the background.

Excerpt: The first large arrival of settlers came in 1789, when some fifty United Empire Loyalists arrived. The most notable was Captain John Walden Meyers who built a dam on the Moira River, erected a sawmill, gristmill and distillery and operated a trading post and brick kiln. A strong demand for timber in England in the 1800s made Belleville a bustling lumber town. Rich forests nearby were accessible by the Moira River and French Canadian loggers were a familiar sight. The logs were cut into timber at several local mills and taken down the St. Lawrence to Quebec. With export trade in lumber and flour, Belleville's harbour was alive with vessels of every description. The arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856 gave Belleville a link with Montreal and Toronto. For many years the railway was Belleville's largest employer.

(Submitted on September 1, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 1, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 435 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 1, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.