In 1803 Colonel Thomas Talbot settled on the north shore of Lake Erie in what is now the municipality of Dutton Dunwich. He built a crude home above the clay cliffs over-looking Lake Erie in a small harbor by the mouth of the creek (Port Talbot). Talbot developed much of the land in south western Ontario. Some of the first settlers to port Talbot were the Patterson, Backus, Storey and the Pearce families. Part of the requirements to secure their acreage was each farmer had to clear some of the heavily forested land; plant a crop; build a structure like a cabin or barn and clear their frontage for a road. In 1809 the Pearce family arrived. They settled west of Port Talbot on the shores high above lake Erie. This particular barn was built in 1887. The lumber came from trees in their woods and was milled on site. In 1916 the silo was added to store corn and hay to feed to the cattle and hogs. This cement silo measured 48’ tall and 15’ across and was considered very large for the time. Note: info came from Elaine Pearce Brown from letters from the Pearce estate.  Print is 11 X 17”