Johnstown, ON  1789

Johnstown is located at the junction of Hwy 2 and Hwy 16, 3 or 4 miles from the town of Prescott.

In 1789-90 a town plot of one mile square was laid out in this vicinity.  Many Loyalists, including Sir John Johnson, obtained lots in this settlement.  A sawmill and grist-mill were constructed, and in 1793 it was made the administrative centre of the Eastern District.  A courthouse and gaol were erected and the court of quarter sessions, which administered the districts local government, met alternately here and in Cornwall.  Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe stayed here in Johnstown in 1792 and 1795.  In 1808 the courts were moved to Elizabethtown (Brockville) and despite its favourable location as a port, Johnstown's further development was retarded by its shallow harbour.

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