Maitland, Ontario is a small village within Augusta Township in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Canada.

The village was briefly settled in the 1750s by the French, who established a shipyard and small fort here; they called this settlement Pointe au Baril.

After the Battle of the Thousand Islands the French were forced out and the area was primarily settled by the British, becoming the village of Maitland.

[5] In 1760, the French were forced to leave their fort at Pointe au Baril when British troops invaded.

By the time the Loyalists arrived, around 1784, there was little to no evidence of the French settlement or fort; all that remained was a log building, which had once been used as officers’ quarters.

[7][8] After it lay abandoned for many years, Loyalists began to settle the area in the late 1700s and into the early 19th century by building homesteads, establishing businesses and opening small factories.

During the early part of the century, Maitland was on the opposite end of a supply route running to Merrick's mills, which aided in its growth; additionally, the construction of the Welland Canal and other canal systems through the St. Lawrence allowed goods to be transported to and from the village.

[5] One of Maitland's most notable landmarks was constructed in 1828: the Longley Tower, which was originally built as a windmill along the St. Lawrence River.

[5] Longley then imported a steam engine from Europe, built a flour mill, and constructed a stone building on site out of which he ran a general store and post office;[9] this was the beginning of the village and shortly after, a Major Charles Lemon constructed two mills, a foundry, and a blacksmith shop to serve the village as well.

In 1833, Maitland was designated an official point of entry and years later a Customs House was built to deal with border crossings and importations.

[5] Maitland was mostly at a standstill in terms of industry, with many men losing jobs, and little to no incentive existed to expand the village.

By the later-1850s, the village began to pick up again with the construction of a small, Grand Trunk railway station in Maitland.

Allegedly, the distillery's owner, Sherman Halliday, fled to a hotel in New York state where he later committed suicide to avoid revenue agents who were closing in on him.

[6][4] The first school in the entire township of Augusta was located in Maitland, and operated from the only building left behind from French settlement, the log officers’ quarters.

[6] Augusta council approved a loan of $675 for the new S.S. #3 schoolhouse to be built, and for land to be purchased to extend the playground.

[6] The building was designed by a man named Horace Roberts, built on four acres of land slightly north of the villages centre.

According to a Lillian Collier Gray in her book titled "Maitland the Seaway Village", the keys to the three locks of the crypt were thrown into the St. Lawrence River.

The original building was constructed of brick in 1854 and is now covered in grey stucco with a cement addition along the back.

[6] A Roman Catholic church was intended to be established in Maitland around 1965, called St. Mary's of the Seaway Parish.