Village Squire, 1980-08, Page 26An early photo of Port Albert, with the Nine Mlle River in the
foreground.
Port Albert
A village whose long history has been tied to a lake,
a river and a railway scandal
BY MARIAN ZINN
To Capltallsts - 1980? or 1848.
"Good and safe Investments. Valuable mill sites and farms for
sale on Lake Huron. A good Mill Privelege on Lake shore having
36 acres of land, the mill can be built on rock and within 50 feet of
10 feet of deep water in the Lake. The mill dam can be made 16
to 18 feet high at a trifling expense and on a never failing stream,
abundance of saw -logs in the vicinity. Proprietor, John Hawkins,
Albert." Feb. 3, 1848.
PG. 24 VILLAGE SQUIRE/AUGUST 1980
Over 130 years ago the above paid advertisement appeared in
the Huron Signal, Goderich, and ran continuously for many
months.
John Hawkins in 1841 was appointed the government land
agent for Ashfield Township and the first settlement was made
in and around Port Albert. The village plot was laid out in 1837
by William Hawkins (a brother of John), a government surveyor.
It was the expectation and desire of the government that a town