Text from the Plaque
Sawmills built by Sheldon Stoddard and the Manhard brothers in 1828-29, during the construction of the Rideau Canal, fosterd the development here of a small settlement. Grist-mills and wharves were soon erected, and by 1848 a post-office "West Port", had been established. Within a decade the hamlet contained 300 residents and several prosperous businesses, including the general store of Declan Foley and mills of William H. Fredenburgh, a prominent lumber exporter. The community's growth was stimulated by agricultural prosperity and the construction of the Brockville, Westport & Sault Ste. Marie Railway, completed in 1888 between Brockville and Westport, which then had a population of about 700. Westport was incorporated as a Village, with 900 inhabitants, by a United Counties by-law of 1903.
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