Colborne in Northumberland County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

The Founding of Colborne

Photographed by Tim Boyd, June 8, 2025

1. The Founding of Colborne Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

A store established here about 1819 by Joseph Abbott Keeler, a prominent early settler, provided the nucleus around which a small community began to develop. Within ten years a distillery and a blacksmith's shop had been erected. The settlement, named Colborne reputedly after Lieutenant Governor Sir John Colborne, soon emerged as a service centre for the surrounding region and, with the establishment of a harbour nearby for the shipment of lumber and grain, it prospered. By 1846 it contained a foundry, a pottery, six stores, three churches, a number of tradesmen and artisans and some 400 residents. The arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856 spurred further growth, and three years later Colborne, with a population of about 800, was incorporated as a village.

Autour d'un magasin ouvert ici vers 1819 par un pionnier influent, Joseph Abbott Keeler, naît une petite communauté. Dans les dix années qui suivent, une distillerie et une forge sont construites. L'établissement, nommé semble-t-il d'après le lieutenant-gouverneur sir John Colborne, devient vite un centre de services pour la région environnante et prospère

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grâce à l'ouverture, tout près, d'un port pour le transport du bois et du grain. Dès 1846, on y trouve une fonderie, une fabrique de poteries, six magasins, trois églises, nombre d'échoppes d'artisans et de commerçants et quelque 400 habitants. La construction du chemin de fer du Grand Tronc, en 1856, en accélère l'expansion et, trois ans plus tard, Colborne, qui compte 800 habitants, est constitué en village.

Erected by Ontario Heritage Foundation.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: 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 1819.

Location. 44° 0.326′ N, 77° 53.319′ W. Marker is in Colborne, Ontario, in Northumberland County. It is on Toronto Street 0.1 kilometers north of King Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker is in Victoria Square Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 80 Percy St, Colborne ON K0K 1S0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Kawarthas Northumberland Area

and in

The Founding of Colborne Marker/ Fondation de Colborne [français] image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Boyd, June 8, 2025

2. The Founding of Colborne Marker/ Fondation de Colborne [français]

Eastern Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in 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 13 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Colborne Cenotaph (World War II) (within shouting distance of this marker); Colborne Cenotaph (World War I) (within shouting distance of this marker); Old St. Andrew’s Church (about 180 meters away, measured in a direct line); Barnum House / Maison Barnum (approx. 12.5 kilometers away); Barnum House / La Maison Barnum (approx. 12.5 kilometers away); WWI Battle Honours (approx. 12.6 kilometers away); War Memorial Cenotaph (approx. 12.6 kilometers away); Brighton Town Hall Bell (approx. 12.6 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Colborne.

Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 6, 2025

3. The Founding of Colborne Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 15, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 90 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 15, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.