The Founding of Newboro
The settlement of this area was begun during the building of the Rideau Canal in 1826-32 when a major construction camp was located here at the Isthmus. In 1833 Benjamin Tett, owner of a nearby sawmill, opened a store and three years later a post office named Newborough was established. A small community including several stores gradually developed as a trade centre for the region's lumbering industry and agriculture. About 1850 a tannery was established and within ten years two iron mines had been opened in the vicinity. The ore was exported via the Rideau to smelters in the United States. Growth was further stimulated by the erection of a foundry and a steam sawmill and in 1876 Newboro was incorporated as a Village.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Ontario Plaques. Full page here.