Johnstown is a compact rural community[1] in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, in eastern Ontario, Canada, part of the township municipality of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans, Johnstown and the surrounding area had been sporadically occupied by various Indigenous cultures for many centuries.

According to the Edwardsburgh Centennial Committee, who compiled a history of the township in 1967, Johnstown was used by Native Americans as a stopover place due to its location.

[10] This would have made the land of present-day Johnstown a convenient place for those travelling on the river to rest.

[10][9] The first regular land occupancy began in 1673 when French settlers, along with the allied Natives, built a fortified storehouse in present-day Johnstown, then called La Veille Gallette.

[7][9] The storehouse was situated on the shores of Old Breeches River, now called Johnstown Creek, and was used to hold supplies headed upriver to fur trading posts such as Fort Frontenac (Now, Kingston).

The fort was located on Chimney Island (Formerly known as Isle Royale) in the St. Lawrence River just off of the shores of Grenville Park.

After a week-long standoff, the 11,000 British troops led by Jeffery Amherst succeeded in taking the fort from the few hundred French.

[9][11] The French troops managed to significantly delay the British arrival to Montreal, and succeeded in sinking two ships as well as crippling a third.

[9] By 1784, 166 Loyalists were residing in the township and until 1790 the landing point and base camp for these settlers was at Johnstown.

[7] The plan was created by the government Land Committee with strict regulations in regards to the layout of houses and streets.

[9] In 1792 John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, established himself in Johnstown which then became the district’s administrative seat or "capital".

[9] This led to the court of quarter sessions (the district's government) alternating its meeting location between Johnstown and Cornwall, and to the construction of a courthouse and gaol.

Mooney’s employed around four men and made earthenware items such as ink wells or pots which were sold throughout the county.

[9] By the last half of the 19th century, some pioneer tradespeople and businesses were active in the community aside from the mill and pottery manufacturer.

[9] The construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the late 1950s and the international bridge in 1960 also contributed to an influx of people residing in Johnstown.

According to the township's website, the industrial park focuses on transportation and logistics, intermodal facilities and light manufacturing.

[13] In addition to the Port of Johnstown, the village is home to the companies Greenfield Ethanol Inc., Ingredion Inc. and Prysmian Cables.

[14] In addition to the industrial park and large businesses, Johnstown is home to a church, a Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall, an elementary school and a convenience store and gas station.

[9] In 1902, this school was replaced again by a brick building, built at the corner of Queen Street and Ontario Highway 2.

[9] Upon its construction, the third, brick school was painted many colours; the wainscotting was red while the walls and ceiling were blue and the floor was yellow.

[9] Officially opened on September 14, 1961, the six-room brick school was built to replace numerous rural schoolhouses in the area.

[9] In 1990, a Kingdom Hall was built for the local Jehovah’s Witnesses in Johnstown after the congregation outgrew their church in Prescott.

[9] The Port of Johnstown was built in 1931 to replace a grain elevator located closer to the town of Prescott which operated from 1895 until 1931.

The influx of labourers led to the community's expansion as more homes and boarding houses were built, and more businesses opened.

Its $35 million expansion, funded by municipal, provincial and federal governments, was planned to end with intermodal wharf of 465 ft (142 m) and 7.7 ha (19.0 acres) of storage area.

[24]Marine cargo had jumped 13 per cent in 2014 to 759,000 tonnes, a record amount since the Township of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal purchased the site for $10 from the federal government in October 2000.