Maitland, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Ontario

Maitland, Ontario is a small village within Augusta township in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Canada. It is located along the St. Lawrence River approximately five kilometres east of the City of Brockville.

The village was briefly settled in the 1750s by the French who established a shipyard and small fort here; they called this settlement Point au Baril. After the Battle of the Thousand Islands the French were forced out and the area was primarily settled by the British, becoming the village of Maitland. The village was named after Sir Peregrine Maitland, who was Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada.

Presently, the village consists mainly of residential properties with some businesses located inside the village and factories near the outskirts.

The area which was to become Maitland was used occasionally by the French throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. At this time, the French had well established trading routes along the St. Lawrence from Montreal to Niagara. Initially, they referred to this area as Pointe au Pin, however since the same was already used to describe other locations, it was changed to Pointe au Baril sometime in the eighteenth century. Conflicts with the British left this trading system vulnerable; in 1758, British-American troops attacked Fort Frontenac (present-day Kingston), burning the fort as well as the French fleet. This action disrupted trading and left Montreal vulnerable creating a need for new ships and a new fort. Plans were drawn that year for a new shipyard and fortification to be located at Pointe au Baril.

Located on a point, Pointe au Baril was an optimal location for both a shipyard and a fort; This location was close to the enemy’s fort near present-day Ogdensburg and had excellent timber in abundance. The shipyard was constructed by 1759 along with a seven-pointed star shaped earthwork fort. Troops were summoned from Montreal to aid in the construction of new ships, and the improve the fortification and by spring of 1759 two ships were fully constructed. On April 9, the French launched the Iroquoise followed three days later by the Outaouaise.

In 1760, the French were forced to leave their fort at Pointe au Baril when British troops invaded. General Amherst captured the fort as well as both ships. The site was left abandoned for around 20 years; the British made no attempt to settle here initially or colonize the area. By the time the Loyalists arrived around 1784, there was little to no evidence of the French settlement or fort, all that remained was a log building which had once been used as officers’ quarters. The approximate site of the fort was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1923, and is marked by a stone cairn.

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