Abandoned Houses in Northern Ontario

Some interesting finds on a recent business trip.

Abandoned House in Bruce County

This beautiful home lies on the outskirts of a small town, and is slated for demolition. Click on pics for larger versions.

Abandoned Apartment Building in Huron County

This was a surprise find. I was on a road trip and pulled into this small town off the highway to take a break. Some of the greatest finds occur by accident. I could have easily driven past this one. Click for larger versions.

Abandoned Halton Region house, circa 1850

I found this house by chance (as I do so many others) while on my way to deliver some framed prints to a gallery in Georgetown. The 6/6 windows on the second level suggest that this home was built in the mid 1800's. My sense is that it will be taken down soon, as development is creeping north from Oakville. Click for larger images.

New location, Abandoned Mississauga House

Thanks to my friend Emily D. for showing me this location (and holding the flashlight)! Shot in complete darkness with an external flash unit. Click on images for larger versions.

New images added to abandonedontario.ca

An additional 58 images were added to the abandonedontario.ca website image library.

Direct Link to Image Library

Markham Abandoned School House circa 1902

Located just north of the ever expanding Markham and Richmond Hill area sits this abandoned Section School No.7. It was accessible, yet well boarded up, minus an open basement door. An original picket fence section ran along the back of the property, and I could almost sense the ghosts of children playing on the grounds. School sections were created and financed through the tax base of neighbouring farms. The building appeared to be in good condition and a great candidate for preservation. It's future is not known.

Heritage Preserved Stone House in Brampton

This wonderful old stone home sits amongst new homes in a subdivision. Thankfully, it has been granted heritage status. 100 plus years can sure change the way we live.

Rock Hill Union Church circa 1898

I came across this beautiful stone church on one of my random explorations. It's not abandoned, and is well maintained. It appears that it is still used by the small rural community that surrounds it.

What remains of the Alloa House

Sad to see, but this is all that remains of the beautiful house that was located at Mississauga and Alloa roads. When I went to take these pics, a couple of guys were picking through the pile of bricks and tossing them into the back of a trailer. I returned a few hours later to take these after they had left.

Mississauga News, mississauga.com article

Mississauga News-An editorial piece has been published about me in the Mississauga News print edition on March 4, 2010.

A nicely written feature by reporter Julia Lee of the Mississauga News appeared on their website. Hoping this helps to raise awareness of local history in Peel Region a little more! Link below.

Abandoned Ontario on mississauga.com

Another historic Victorian home in Peel demolished

Sadly another striking example of Queen Anne Victorian architecture has been demolished in Peel Region. The house was just outside of Alloa off of Mississauga Road. When I saw the mountain of red brick, my jaw dropped in disbelief. Luckily, I had photographed the home in late 2009, and incorporated it into my Abandoned Ontario book.

UPDATE!!!! I was speaking with Glen Judge this morning, the nice man who owns the nearby Cheltenham General Store, and apparently the house BURNT down. Very suspicious.

This was a beautiful home, and was in near pristine condition. I drove past the house in late January, and noticed that they had torn down the large barn and various outbuildings at the back of the property. Although I was somewhat skeptical, part of me was sincerely hoping that they would leave the home to be.

What frustrates me, and many others I speak to, is what is so wrong with incorporating the existing landscape into new community designs? Why do builders exist on flattening every building, cutting down every tree, and filling in every wetland that lies in their path? If they are smart enough to create these master designs for new communities, they are certainly smart enough to incorporate the old in with the new.

A subdivision is a method of development popularized in the 1950's. Guess what, that was 50 years ago! Sprawls of homes that rely on the ever polluting automobile are a design of the past. At the very least, why not make use of this big, beautiful home? Turn it into a community hub. Incorporate a store, a meeting place, whatever. My feeling is that if people are aware of and respect the history of a local area, they are more likely to have pride and respect for where they live. If you're a resident of the area, and you would like to see less of these types of homes torn down, contact the city to get involved.

Historic 1857 home in Peel Region demolished

Sadly this historic home on Mississauga Road, which sat abandoned and boarded up for months, has met it's fate. It was recently torn down to make way for a new subdivision. Virtually no trace or hint of the homes existence remains, it's foundation neatly backfilled to match the surrounding muddy fields. 153 years is a long time for a home to stand. I was inside the house in 2009, and it showed no real need for repair, and appeared to be very well cared for. I'm keeping a close watch on the other homes in the immediate area, which may meet the same fate. This home was profiled in my book, Abandoned Ontario. Only photos and memories remain.

Going on TV, Monday February 1

I will be on the local station on Monday Feb 1 between 11am-12pm. It's the Daytime show on Rogers TV. You can also watch it online at this link http://www.rogerstv.com/option.asp?lid=14&rid=23

Some pictures for today

Spiritual Medium and another media profile

Today I'm meeting with Chris Stillar, a spiritual medium. Chris is a very authentic and well know medium, who was kind enough to provide me with the foreword in my Abandoned Ontario Book. As always, I expect to come away with some insightful messages and a greater awareness of where I am going in the days to come. We're also discussing and brainstorming on a new collaborative project. Check out his website www.spiritualmedium.ca

I'm also meeting with a writer today from Backroads of Simcoe and Grey magazine, and will be featured in their spring issue. Pretty exciting stuff. Not sure how I feel about putting myself out to 30,000 people, but I'm going with it regardless!

A little update, the writer turned out to be Sandy Poitras, a super nice person who made me feel very comfortable. Sounds like this should be a pretty cool magazine article.

Abandoned House Video

Here's a quick unedited movie of one of my journeys through an abandoned house in Simcoe County. Sorry for the poor quality, I'm more of a photographer than a videographer.

Thanks to all!

I wanted to start this new blog with a couple of notes of appreciation. A big thank you to everyone who has purchased my Abandoned Ontario book! I also want to thank the retailers and museums for offering my book for sale, and thanks to everyone for their ongoing support! We are now in 15 stores and counting....