Ontario's Ghost Town Heritage

by Ron Brown

Overview

Despite the urban sprawl, industrialization and endless highway construction, Ontario possesses many hidden corners and lonely roads where the remains of earlier settlements, often constructed with immense effort against impossible odds, now lie forgotten. Some are no more than a few decaying foundations and collapsing houses, while others are littered with the remains of the industry and manufacturing that once thrived there.

There is a renewed interest in exploring our own backyard, and Ontario's Ghost Town Heritage is the perfect guide to these once-booming towns and villages. While some still maintain small resident populations, others exist only as abandoned buildings and ruins. All have in common that they are "ghosts" of their former greatness, and their images evoke the lost legacy of Ontario's past.

This fascinating book by Ontario historian Ron Brown explores over 80 accessible ghost towns in all parts of Ontario. Detailed driving directions invite you to experience the province's heritage for yourself.

This revised edition contains many new sites to visit and has been carefully updated with the latest information and driving directions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780228103257
Publisher:	Boston Mills Press
Publication date:	07/08/2021
Edition description:	Second Edition, Revised and Updated
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	1,087,031
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Ron Brown, an authority on rural Ontario, has written over a dozen books on Ontario's ghost towns and roadside attractions. He is a frequent contributor to CBC Radio, and his travel articles have appeared in numerous North American newspapers and magazines. He lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 7

Roads of Broken Dreams

Ontario's Ghost Town Trails 9

1 Trails To The East 19

Allans Mills 21

Andrewsville 22

Aultsville 24

Balaclava (Renfrew County) 27

Bedford Mills 29

Blairton 30

Brudenell 32

Craigmont 34

Eldorado 36

Foymount 38

Glanmire 41

Lemieux 42

Lonsdale 44

Marlbank 47

Marysville 48

McCrimmon 51

Millbridge 53

Newfoundout 55

Petworth 56

Point Anne 58

Port Milford 60

Presqu'ile 62

Wilbur 65

2 Trails to the West 67

Balaclava (Grey County) 69

Dawn Mills 70

Duncrief 73

Indiana 75

Jamestown 79

Keldon 80

Mount Healy 82

Napier 85

Newbridge 87

St. Joseph 88

Strathaven 91

Sunshine 93

Traverston 94

Tyrconnell 97

Wanstead 98

3 Cottage Country Trails 101

Ashdown 103

Cheddar 104

Cooper's Falls 107

Depot Harbour 109

Donald 113

Gelert 114

Howland Junction 117

Irondale 118

Lewisham 121

Martinviile (aka Copelands Mills) 122

Mowat 124

Muskoka Heritage Place (Where Ghost Towns Meet) 126

Rye 129

Scotia Junction 130

Seguin Falls 132

Uffiagton 135

Uhthoff 136

4 Trails to the North 139

Benny 141

Biscotasing 142

Burchell Lake 145

Byng Inlet 147

Cockburn Island 148

Creighton 150

Dalton Mills / Dalton Station 152

Desaulniers 155

French River 156

Gargantua 158

Gold Rock 160

Goudreau 162

Holtyre 164

Jackfish 166

Key Harbour 169

Kiosk / Fossmill 172

Lochalsh 177

Michael's Bay 178

Milnet 181

Nesterville 182

Nicholson 184

Pakesley / Lost Channel 186

Pickerel Landing Village 189

Silver Centre 190

Silver Islet 193

Still River 194

Tomiko 197

Victoria Mines 198

5 Golden Horseshoe Trails 201

Altona 203

Balls Falls 204

Ballycroy 206

Boston Mills 209

Cheltenham Brick Works 211

Crooks Hollow 213

Erie Beach Amusement Park 214

Fleetwood 216

Franklin 219

Greenlaw Corners 220

Josephine 222

McKinnon 225

Rockwood (The Harris Mill) 227

Sinclairville 229

St. Johns West 230

Todmorden Mills 235

Wesleyville 236

Index 238

Editorial Reviews

A wealth of information can be discovered within these full-colour pages. I love exploring my province and look forward to checking out some of these old towns — or what remains of them.

Followsummer Blog - Lisa Day

[Review of previous edition:] [Brown] has the gift of finding lots of things interesting and of them being able to write beautifully about those things.

Chronicle-Journal (Thunder Bay) - Linda Turk

[Review of previous edition:] Brown's books are always interesting and bring to mind adventures.

Muskoka Today - Lois Cooper

For adventurous travellers, there are 80 mysterious places to explore including villages that were once bustling, where now only a few people live or are even abandoned. Besides interesting historical stories, the book includes detailed maps.

Culture Magazine - Sammy Tuong Hoang

Brown has done an exceptional job as usual... This visual road trip is ideal for anyone who wants to take a step back in time to discover areas of Ontario that have faded into the misty arms of the past.

Shelf Life

A fascinating guide to the unusual, the lost and the abandoned places of Ontario.

The Sun Times (Owen Sound, ON) - Andrew Armitage

Features the most interesting or "ghostly" destinations from earlier volumes, all with updated information and images, along with newly "discovered" ghost towns.

Northern Life