Preston is located in the where the Speed River meets the Grand River. The downtown runs south along King Street from Riverside Park to Bishop Street. The core maintains its small town feel by drawing the residents from the surrounding neighbourhood streets to its unique shops. Local merchants offer a wide variety of goods and services, and celebrate annually with the Joys of Summer Sidewalk Sale and Funfest. In early July the nation’s largest Canada Day Parade takes place in Preston ending in a spectacular display of fireworks at Riverside Park. Through the support of the B.I.A. Preston also hosts an annual Remembrance Day Parade.
Preston was originally settled in 1805 when a group of German speaking Mennonites migrated north from Pennsylvania and acquired the land from the Six Nations Indians. John Erb was one of the first to arrive and became the owner of 7,500 acres located around where the Speed River joins the Grand River. He established a saw mill on the river in 1805 and two years later a grist mill. The location of his mill is still in use today under the name P&H Milling and it is the oldest continually operating industrial site in the region.
In 1837 while drilling for salt a member of the Erb family discovered a well that was rich in sulphur. At the time sulphur was thought to be the ideal treatment for a variety of conditions and so the Preston Springs Gardens Hotel was erected. The hotel offered indoor and outdoor sitz bath and was the ultimate in luxury at the time, soaring an imposing five stories over the top of what is now King Street, the hotel had 130 rooms an elevator and stunning carpentry details. By the 1850′s the hotel was renowned and attracted guests from all over to “take the waters”.
Up until 1834 when a survey was completed, the area was referred to as Cambridge Mills. It is said that the surveyor was reminded of his home town in England by the area and named Preston in its honour. As soon as the surveying of Preston was completed people, largely German in decent, began to immigrate to the area. The village of Preston was officially incorporated in 1852.