The central portion of this building was completed in 1833 and served as the court-house and gaol of the Eastern District. First named Luneburgh, this district was established in 1788 by proclamation. In 1794 an Act of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada authorized the magistrates of the District Court of Quarter Sessions to erect a court-house and gaol at Cornwall. A two-storey frame structure was completed on this site about 1802 and, until destroyed by fire in 1826, served as the centre of local judicial and municipal administration. It was replaced by the main block of the present building, which is one of the province's oldest remaining public structures.

Location

On the grounds of the court house, Pitt and Water streets, Cornwall

Themes

• Buildings and structures
• Politics and law