More extensive development began with sale of village tracts by Deseronto's grandson John Culbertson in 1837.

In the 21st century, Deseronto, located 5 km from Highway 401, is the eastern gateway to the Bay of Quinte tourist region, with the Skyway Bridge providing access to Prince Edward County.

In 1995 the Mohawk submitted its Culbertson Tract land claim to the Canadian government, which included much of the Deseronto townsite.

The area was acquired by the British Government from the Mississauga people just after the American Revolution for resettlement of loyalists from the colonies.

In 1784, a group of twenty Mohawk families led by Captain John Deserontyon (aka Deseronto) (c.1740–1811) became the first settlers.

The Crown personally granted Deseronto a lump sum payment of about £800 for his losses, 3,000 acres (12 km2) of land, and an annual pension of £45.

[2][3] In 1848, portions of land were bought by Anglo-Canadians Amos S. Rathbun, Thomas Y. Howe, and L. E. Carpenter, who built the area’s first sawmill.

He acquired many village properties and developed Mill Point as one of Ontario's earliest company towns, building dwellings to house employees of his shipyard and sawmill.

This led to rapid growth, and the place became an industrial and transportation hub for the logging business in the Napanee, Salmon, Moira, and Trent River watersheds.

[2][3] Timber was transported to the town of Deseronto from upcountry via Rathbun's Bay of Quinte Railway and was shipped out by the company's steamships for delivery to points along the Great Lakes and up the St. Lawrence River.

Around 1931, the CNR abandoned the section of line between Deseronto and Trenton, which also cut off the direct connection to Brighton.

[6] The line beyond Brighton had already been closed in the 1920s as a result of consolidation of the former Canadian Northern and Grand Trunk systems under the CNR.

[8] These developments placed Deseronto at the end of a branch line to Napanee, limiting rail transport to and from the town.

The Culbertson Tract is an 827-acre parcel of land; it includes much of downtown Deseronto and part of Tyendinaga Township, which the government has acknowledged was never ceded by the Mohawk.

[9][10] Because it had the potential to affect many existing property holders, the claim was highly controversial, sparking protests on both sides.

[9] The Mohawk halted its Deseronto negotiations in June 2008 when the government declared that it would not consider expropriation of non-natives to expand the reserve as this was not permitted under the applicable Policy.

This territory is part of the original Mohawk Tract granted to the Six Nations by Treaty 3½, the Simcoe Deed of 1793.

[18] Deseronto Transit provides public transportation services in the town, with connections to Napanee, Belleville, and Picton.