Absalom Shade

Galt owes its existence largely to the initiative and pioneering of Absalom Shade, a Pennsylvania carpenter who was hired by William Dickson to help open up Dumfries Township for settlers.

The area was surveyed in 1816 and a grist mill, sawmill and a store were erected in 1817. As the settlement, known appropriately as Shade’s Mills, grew, produce had to be transported with difficulty through the treacherous Beverly Swamp. To overcome this, Shade arranged for the goods to be delivered in flat bottom boats, down the Grand River to Dunnville and through the Welland Canal to market.

The name of the community was changed to Galt in 1827 in honour of John Galt, a personal friend of Dickson.

In 1831 Shade was elected a member of the Legislative Assembly, representing Halton Riding, and in 1850 he was elected reeve of Dumfries Township.