Picton, Ontario
| Picton | |
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| Community | |
Picton Harbour in the winter
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 Picton
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| Coordinates: 44°00′N 77°08′W / 44.000°N 77.133°W | |
| Country |
 Canada
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| Province |
 Ontario
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| Regional Municipality | Prince Edward County |
| Incorporated (town) | 1837 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Robert Quaiff |
| • MP | Neil Ellis (Bay of Quinte, Liberal Party of Canada) |
| • MPP | Todd Smith (Prince Edward—Hastings, CON) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4 km2 (2 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 79 m (259 ft) |
| Population (2011)Statistics Canada | |
| • Total | 4,487 |
| • Density | 995.75/km2 (2,579.0/sq mi) |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Postal Code FSA | K0K 2T0 |
| Area code(s) | 613 |
| Website | www |
Picton is an unincorporated community located in Prince Edward County in South Eastern Ontario, Canada, roughly 160 km east of Toronto. It is the County's largest community and former seat. Picton is located at the south-western end of Picton Bay, a branch of the Bay of Quinte, which is along the northern shoreline of Lake Ontario. The town is named for Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Picton, who served in the British army during the Peninsular War in Spain and Portugal. He also saw action at the Battle of Waterloo, where he was killed.
It was formerly incorporated as a town.
Picton is home to the Picton Pirates of the Empire B Junior C Hockey League in the Ontario Hockey Association.
Picton, originally named Hallowell, was first settled in the 1780s by Loyalists from the Thirteen Colonies.
Prior to its incorporation in 1837, the modern-day town of Picton consisted of two separate villages, Hallowell Bridge and Picton, which occupied the opposite sides of Picton Bay.
Named for General Sir Thomas Picton, Wellington's second-in-command at the Battle of Waterloo, the Town of Picton has a profound and rich history. It was here that Sir John A. Macdonald managed a law office for his uncle, Lowther P. MacPherson.
In 1998, the town and all other municipalities in the county were dissolved and amalgamated into a single-tier municipality, the Corporation of the County of Prince Edward. Each of the former municipalities is now a ward of the county. Picton is Ward 1.
During the Second World War, the United Kingdom came under siege and required training facilities outside the British Isles for the thousands of pilots needed for its defence. Because of geographical similarities to Great Britain, sparsely populated Prince Edward County was considered an ideal location for an RAF Bombing and Gunnery School. In the summer of 1940, an aerodrome was rapidly constructed and in November 1940 the RCAF moved in and began small-arms training at the facility. In April 1941, the RAF took over the station and No 31 Bombing and Gunnery School was formed. The school was part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, and used to train many of the aircrew needed to help defend Great Britain.
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