[1][2] The village was the original commercial nucleus for the settlement which developed on 5,000 acres (20 km2) of land granted to Thomas Talbot in 1800 by the Crown along the northwestern shore of Lake Erie.
The settlement was one of the most prosperous of its time in Upper Canada, noted for its good roads, with Talbot keeping out land speculators and securing hard-working settlers.
Talbot's authoritarian control of the settlers led to conflicts with the Executive Council of Upper Canada and a reduction in his powers.
On Talbot's behalf, Simcoe requested 2,000 hectares of land along the coastline of Lake Erie for the benefit of creating a settlement.
Upon his arrival in Port Talbot, he is reported to have remarked "Here will I roost and will soon make the forest tremble under the wings of the flock I will invite by my warblings around me!"
[5] Before long, he had erected a functional log house on a hill facing the lake and with a view of the valley of Talbot Creek.
[5] James Witton was contracted to build log houses and Mahlon Burwell constructed a bridge over Talbot Creek.