Castle had arrived in South Australia in 1839 and it is thought named the new settlement after his former home in Gloucestershire.

One contemporary account stated that town of Hackham was 'peculiarly adapted for its purpose, being in the centre of a large agricultural district.

By 1866, Hackham was linked by a daily coach to Adelaide and it contained a post office, licensed school, and a hotel, the Golden Pheasant.

The Craig, Collins, Hutchinson, Holly, Humphris, Forsyth and Sparrow families were just some of those that pioneered the place.

It was predominantly a farming region, specialising in cereal production until the 1960s and 1970s when the encroachment of suburban subdivisions changed land use.