Pittston, Ontario is located on the banks of the South Branch of the South Nation River; north of Cardinal, Ontario, between Brouseville and Shanly. Its main intersection is the crossing of Shanly Road and Pittston Road. Originally, the community was called Riddell's Settlement, as the Riddell family headed six households and owned much of the land here. The community was eventually renamed after William Pitt, who was the first postmaster and built the first general store here in the 1800s. Although much of the land of Pittston was surveyed and distributed as land grants by 1799, the land changed hands many times before being settled by 1840. The village was arguably at its height during the mid-to-late 1800s, at which time several businesses were in operation and family farms were thriving. By the late 1800s, the village had a population of around 150.