History

The site of the present-day city was first occupied by various Indigenous peoples, drawn by its sheltered waters, easy access to Lake Ontario and abundance of fishing, such as Anishinaabe (Mississaugas) people who had a village here known as Asukhknosk.

Following the American Revolution, United Empire Loyalists began settling in the Belleville area in the late 1700s. One of the earliest settlers, John Walden Meyers, built a dam and mills along the Moira River, establishing an early industrial and trading centre. The settlement was first known as Meyers’ Creek. In 1816, it was renamed Belleville in honour of Lady Arabella Gore, wife of the lieutenant governor of Upper Canada.

Belleville grew rapidly during the 1800s as a transportation and industrial centre.

Key drivers of growth included:

• the lumber trade, supported by forests accessible through the Moira River
• agriculture and grain milling
• harbour shipping on the Bay of Quinte.

The arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856 strengthened Belleville’s role as a regional transportation hub connecting Montreal and Toronto.

Manufacturing industries later included:

• furniture and carriage production
• metal and foundry work
• food processing and agricultural products.

Several important institutions were established in the 1800s as the city grew.

These included:

• schools and churches serving the expanding population
• early public infrastructure such as electricity and municipal water systems by the late 1800s
• Ontario’s first provincial school for deaf students, founded in 1870 and now known as the Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf.

The historic City Hall building on Front Street, constructed in 1873, remains a prominent municipal landmark.

Belleville has long served as a regional centre for government, commerce and services in Hastings County.

In 1998, municipal restructuring in Ontario resulted in the amalgamation of the former Township of Thurlow with the City of Belleville, expanding municipal boundaries to include several surrounding communities.

Today, Belleville continues to function as a regional hub within the Bay of Quinte area. The city supports a mix of industries including manufacturing, logistics, food processing and service sectors.

The city also serves residents through municipal services, education institutions, transportation networks and access to recreation along the Bay of Quinte.