Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
View of Peterborough in the District of Newcastle Upper Canada... / K.E.S.
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Peterborough is situated, for the most part, on the west bank of the Otonabee River which runs south into Rice Lake. Samuel de Champlain was the first European to cross the site of Peterborough. In 1819 Barnabus Bletcher, Thomas Edmison, John Farrelly, Charles Fothergill, Adam Scott and Thomas Ward entered the area looking for a suitable mill site. The mill eventually became a landmark to residents and travellers in the area until it burnt down in 1835. In 1825 Peter Robinson entered the area with Irish settlers. The area was originally known as Scott's Plains. In 1826 the settlement was named Peterborough in honour of Peter Robinson. The town had mills and churches to start with and eventually expanded with banking arriving in 1840 and water power in the 1850's. (Taken from: Illustrated Historical Atlas of Peterborough County, 1825-1875. Peterborough: The Peterborough Historical Atlas Foundation Inc., 1975.)