1612 - The pirate Peter Easton arrives and builds a fort. Easton uses Harbour Grace as a base from which to raid the migratory fishing fleet.

1618 - The Bristol Merchant Ventures set up the Bristol's Hope plantation as Harbour Grace. Some colonists moved to Harbour Grace from Cupids.

1622 - Edward Wynne, writing from Ferryland, reports that at Harbour Grace, "There is goodly Rye now growing, as can be seen in any part of England: they are also well furnished with swine, and a large breed of goates".

1628 – Robert Hayman, the governor of the Bristol's Hope plantation, publishes Qvodlibets, Lately Come Over from New Britiniola or Old Newfound - Land". This is the first book of poetry written in English in the New World.

1675 – Census records 16 permanent settlers and 20 servants. Settlers include:: Thomas Player, Joan Hibbs (widow), Thomas Horton, Lewis Guy, Emelin Garland and Arthur Batten.

1677 – Census records 18 permanent settlers and 32 servants, 28 cattle and 21 hogs.

1697 (January 10) – French under d'Iberville capture Harbour Grace. They report 14 houses which they burned.

1715 – The town is well established and ship building increases in importance. The Garland Plantation, inherited by George Garland from his father is a growing concern.

Mid 1760’s – While conducting a survey of the Conception Bay coastline Captain James Cook is helped by Magistrate George Garland who has a pile of rocks placed at Point of Beach to help guide Mariners through the channel.

1764 – The first Church of England chapel is built in Harbour Grace.

1766 – The first clergyman, Rev. Laurence Coughlan arrives in Harbour Grace.

1771 – John Stretton(a merchant settler), is the first official Wesleyan preacher in Harbour Grace.

1779 - Harbour Grace missionary states, "Not even one vessel in ten hath arrived this year, by means of Privateers".

1780 – Privateers make many unsuccessful attempts on the town.

1788 (August 31) – A small chapel is built by Stretton at his own expense. It is the first Methodist Church in Harbour Grace.

1790 – Failure of the fishery causes stress to many residents of Harbour Grace.

1794 – First known Catholic priest in Harbour Grace is Rev. Patrick Whalen.

Circa 1800 – A customs house is built in nearby Carbonear.

1802 – Governor Gambier visites Harbour Grace and encourages the start of a school.

1803 – A school is established.

1809 – Regular communication between St Johns and Conception Bay towns is established. A post office is opened at Harbour Grace with Andrew Drysdale as the postmaster.

1812 – War declared between Britain and the United States causes the Bank fishery to fail as a result of the attacks by American privateers.

1816 – The Pynn firm is taken over by Peter Rogerson after it went into liquidation.

1816 (August 28) – The church built in 1764 is destroyed by a fire.

1817 – Another wooden church is started.

1820 – Harbour Grace begins publishing its own newspapers.

1824 - The Harbour Grace Playhouse opens.

1825 – Irish immigrants increase the towns population. A school is established in Harbour Grace by the Newfoundland School Society.

1826 – Thomas Riddley builds his first store on Water Street.

1828 – Thomas W. Ball establishes The Harbour Grace and Carbonear Weekly Journal and Advertiser for Conception Bay.

1829 – The Fishermen of Harbour Grace and Carbonear form the town's first union.

1830’s (early) – Medical services begins in Harbour Grace and a hospital is built.

1830 - The Corner-stone is laid for the stone court-house. Built of stone from Kelly's Island, it is still in use today.

1832 – The wooden church built in 1817 is destroyed by fire.

1832 – Fire destroys almost all of the business community in Harbour Grace. Capt. William Pynn and John Munn purchase the Dansons firm when it went into liquidation.

1835 (July 28) – The cornerstone for St. Pauls church, the oldest stone church in Newfoundland, is laid by Governor Henry Prescott. It opens for services on July 9^th, 1837.

1837 – Publisher William S. Comer registers The Conception Bay Mercury.

1842 (November) – Charles St. John starts The Weekly Herald.

1844 – Construction of a new Roman Catholic Cathedral begins after the old wooden chapel is taken down.

1845 – Rutherford Brothers establishes a wholesale and retail store.

1850 (February 7) – The Harbour Grace Methodist Church is destroyed by fire.

1850 – Charles St. John starts The Harbour Grace Standard and Conception Bay Advertiser.

1851 – The Newfoundland Steam Packet Society is formed and the S.S. George begins making trips between
St. Johns and Harbour Grace.

1852 – A ferry is established by Thomas Fitzgerald between Harbour Grace and Harbour Grace South.

1856 – Henry Webber founds The Conception Bay Man.

1857 – The population is 5,095. Sixty-two sealing vessels with a crew of 1,941 men harvest 75,055 seals.

1858 – Town suffers a major fire. It is reported that "Tousant’s fire" which broke out on April 12, leveled, "all houses on Water Street from the corner of Lemarchant Road to Victoria Street".

1860 (September 4) – The volunteer fire brigade is reorganized, a new fire engine is bought and a fire bell is erected.

1861 – A schooner is set up as a floating hospital and a fever hospital was built on Military Road to treat small pox.

1864 - 1865 – Three physicians are listed for Harbour Grace: William Harvey and William Dow (on Harvey Street) & Charles Toussaint (on Water Street).

1866 – W.J.S. Donnelly is the first resident to send a transatlantic message.

1868 - A corner stone is laid for a hall on Victoria Street. The ground floor is used by the British Society and the second floor by the Masons.

1870 - Fever hospital on Military Road is replaced by a new structure.

1884 - The railroad is established from St. John's to Harbour Grace. The "golden spike" is driven by Governor John Glover on October 11.

1886 – The Church of England builds St Paul’s Hall.

1888 (May) – St Paul’s Hall opens with a concert by the school children.

1888 – Charles D. Garland starts a cooperage.

1889 (September 2) – The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is destroyed by fire only a few years after it was constructed.

1890 – There is a smallpox scare.

1901 – The population reaches 5,184 residents.

1907 – Major firms include:

1. R.D. McRae and Sons (pursued Labrador fishery and engaged in trade)
2. W.A. Munn (still operated a cod-liver oil plant)
3. C. &. E. Godden (general dealers)
4. Murray and Crawford (manufactured seal oil)
5. A. Rutherford (supplied coal brought from North Sydney in own boats)

1921 – Census records a decline in population to a total of 2,661 residents.

1925 – Harbour Grace congregation votes against union with the Methodist to form the United Church.

1927 – North America’s first civilian airport is established. The Harbour Grace Airport Trust Company is formed, a gravel runway is constructed, and the first flight takes place that August.

1935 – The population is listed as 2, 215.

1944 – Another fire destroys most of the town’s business firms.

1977 – Harbour Grace Historical Society restores the airport to a useable condition.