Hi,

I was very happy to find your site and the page on Frood MIne, then heartbroken to learn that the buildings had been torn down since my last visit there. I sort of grew up there -my grandfather was the mine rescue officer at the local Mine Rescue Station and, after moving to Toronto at the age of 7, I continued to spend my summers there until the last of the houses were torn down or removed in the late 80's. The station was a large two-story building (well, small compared to the mine across the street) with a shop and training facility downstairs and a two bedroom apartment upstairs.

The line of rescue team supervisors -going back to the early 20th century - as I understand them were Tom Fee (?), Harry Moorehouse, George MacFail and lastly my grandfather John Hallows who continued to the end. We had a red "Bat Phone" in the hall, a direct line that rang, often in the middle of the night , in emergencies and a large red rescue truck parked in the shop below.

The ghost town hunter can locate the site of the rescue station simply enough: The remaining steps that everyone talks about on these sites are the steps to the Dellaire (?) house -the first on the right at the fence. The rescue station was the next one on the right. It stood back from the road on a raised bit of land and had a semi-circular driveway. If you reach the bend in the road past the giant poplars -you've gone too far (I'll forward a photo of it from the road soon). Gooseberry bushes and crab apple trees that my grandmother used to make jam were still standing as of 2004 - probably still there. The creek was redirected through the back yard after the house came down, but you can find my sand box against the black rock -in is now the planter for a second generation of poplars several stories high.

Up the hill away from the mine site are a number of forts and treehouses that my cousins and I built as kids...these have outlasted the town itself. Many were inherited from kids before us. The pond halfway up the hill was always called Fee's Pond, after the first head of the mine rescue team.

The white quartzite road on the left-hand side of the road at the fence was the site of the fancier executive homes -one of them was huge colonial thing with columns. It sounds like Barry (other writer) lived on that road (Richie Cres.) he may have known my family who first moved to Frood around 1970.

The last time I visited I found the plastic wheels of a large toy truck of mine - sitting there close to 20 years.

Have you ever heard of Delamere? I noticed it wasn't there. There was quite the little settlement there at one time. My mother grew up there in the 1930's and 40's. My parents got married in the Catholic Church there (I think it was called Sainte Clotilde de La Mere.)

When I was a youth in 1952 we used to camp nearby our gradparents farmhouse. We used to shop at the general store there owned by the Laforge family, and go to church on Sundays.

We went to a small restaurant for coffee after mass, run by Alice Martel. My mother showed me the original loghouse school she went until 1933. A new school was built in the summer of 1933 and in service by fall. Between the store and the blacksmith shop stood 4 homes, and acros the road stood the hall and the church. A rectory stood on the left of the church. beside that there must have 6 more homes there.

A small sideroad contained another three homes. When I visited the site last summer it was my first time in Delamere since 1967. How did things change! The schools, and store were there. But the church and most of the homes were gone or collapsed. No one lives out there anymore. Some homes were saved only by seasonal use as cottages.

There were still 6 of them in use last summer. However they are not well kept as they should be. The restaurant is a colapsed ruin 7 lots right of the church foundations.

My father's familly were a well respected lumber family. His grand father arrived from Perth County in 1867 at Smith Bay on Dollars lake in Blair Twp (It was named Stevenson Twp until 1962) Allen was the first settler in the area and enticed a dozen or so others from Chesterville to relocate there instead. By 1870 he had 46 acres under cultivation and he opened a store (McNicol's General Store), and built a sawmill in 1872.

A small hamlet called Allensville had emerged and a few "company shacks" housed a few other families that came exclusively to work at the mill. My 1880 he was doing a thriving business. A school was built with his financial assitance (and some lumber!). The majority of the residents were baptist and a log church was built on a nearby hill south of the mill. A new one
was built to replace it in 1892. A fire tore through the settlement around 1896-97. It wiped out the "mill shacks"; and created the first
interments in the community (Prior to this they were burried in Loring).

A new row of 8 sturdy frame homes were built to replace the shacks. My father left the familly business in 1941 after he married my mother and went off to war.

Upon his return in 1946 he took a good paying job at the Frood Mine
which is where I lived between 1948-1951. We also visited the site last summer, a number of old buildings still stand a number of them collapsed.

A school house stands nearby the mill site which is today only three large concrete walls (sunk around 1916). Over 8 homes are still there. a few foundation here or there. After the mill closed in 1954 the hamlet dwindled to nothing.

Farming was already unprofitable and abandonned by the 1940's and the little settlement was no more by 1960.

Hope this helps
Elovats@hotmail.com

I came across you site while searching for local abandoned places to explore. I was amused to find Effingham listed. The old storefront you have a photo of still operated as an ice cream parlor when I was a kid in the early 80's.

My sister and I used to walk down that windy road from our house to get sugar cones. Rumor has it that it was closed because a murder took place there. Thanks.

1/2 km from the grundy lake provincial park, is a small dirt road. when you get there there is a sign from the Ontario Real Estate Corporation stating no trespassing.

If you go down the road you come to a small community of 4 - 6 houses. all seem relatively new ie. 20yrs old or so. there is a street with street lamps. the houses are boarded up but brokern into by vandals. any idea what this place was??

Oh WOW! Your website and data is super great! A treasure!

I read with great interest about my great-great-great grandfather on your website. I have been searching for about 26 years, and I find on your website.

I am in great joy! Specifically, Cashmere and gravesites and portraits of David Allen and Harriet Gooderham (portraits courtesy of Jim Halley, Lenexa, KS). I, too, am a descendnat of David Allen and Harriet Gooderham.

I would like to make a special request - can you please forward this e-mail to Jim Halley (aka Jim 'James Allen' H.)?

(Editor: If Jim would contact me, I'll pass the message along)

Hi I was looking for information from the Scotia area, where I grew up. And when I typed Scotia your page came up. I also found a few other spots that I remebered from my youth, you really have a great site here.

My parents both come from the area and so does two of my grandparents. My father past away nearly ten years ago of alzheimers, and his mind had gone at least 6 years before that. It was unfortunate that I couldn't get all the history of those little place when he was alive! He knew so much. And that is why I was prompted to write to you.

I grew up in Scotia in the early fifties, my dad was a Baptist preacher who was based at the Church in Scotia. My dad also had to do what was called the circuit, which I often followed him on. Every Saturday he would leave and preach service in Kearney, Sand Lake, Chetwynd, and KAtrine. We were back by 6pm. Theses were small little churches. in Sand Lake services were held in a small log church, In Chetwynd the Baptists congregated in the school house there, I think there were only 6 families here.

On the Sunday my father would do his preaching at 9am on Sunday at the Scotia church, and then he would jump in the car (me included) and preach in the churches in Sprucedale, Midlothian, and Magnetewan.

In Midloathian there were well over 35 farms in the area, The last time I drove down 10 years ago I counted only 2. The church had been torn down and so had the school, and two stores, even the cemetary was unkept.

On the way back we often stopped for supper at my aunts house which was between Royston and Starrat. She operated from 1945-1968 the last 'variety' store in the whole area out there. After she passed away my father preached at her service which was done in the old Doe Lake school. My mother grew up there in a place called Beggsboro. My mother used to tell me that her grand father Magnus Beggs had opened a grist and carding mill South of Doe Lake. He arrived from Germany and married my great-grandmother Beatrix Gottenbat who was also a dutch immigrant.

His little mill proved a growing concern. He had opened a store, and a post office was apparently added. Before the 1900's a little village of sorts clustered around his mill. My granny as we called her also spoke of this mysterious spot. She remebered there were a few little 'cottages' as she called them. My family also had a large farm under cultivation there. She also told us of the little school house that was built out of an old hog barn. About 15 kids were cramed up in that small smelly place.

Around 1900 a large fire destrouyed the mill, and most of the buildings had gone up with it. He never rebuilt and moved to Burk's Falls to retire. Tragically the familly of Joe Fowler was completely wipped out in the fire. When I was young my father often brought us there picnicking nearby the ruins of the mill. It was a series of great big stone foundation and the remains of a partially colapsed stone chimney, and neat artifacts.

It's a breath breathtaking site. Last time I visited the place it was still there by no longer visible from the roadway. Recently I phoned up my mother and she found old photographs of her youth in the Royston Area. She had started her clean up and found theses old black and whites. Mom is 86 and moving to a retirement home, she was about to throw out the lot, hundred of pictures were in theses boxes. I finally salvaged the lot and found a few nice photos from the entire area, including some from my fathers preaching days. Which brought me out for my online search for stories of these places.

Thanx for the site
Franny L.

I came across your excellent website and have enjoyed it tremendously. Kudo's to you for the terrific work!

The station at Searchmont is no longer there, but you will be happy to know that it has not been destroyed. It was sold and relocated to be used as a cottage farther south, I believe on Upper Island Lake in Heyden.

As a point of general interest that you may or may not be interested in, when you first enter Searchmont there is a sharp turn that crosses the rail tracks. In 1986 (or 87?) I was working as a brakeman for the ACR and we had an unfortunate incident at that crossing. Eight rail cars left the tracks right at the crossing and closed the road for 3 days. You will note that was the only road into town! A 30,000 lb coil of rolled steel from one of the flatbeds rolled off into the bottomless muskeg there right next to the crossing and was unable to be retreived. It is down there still.

The Searchmont station was a busy place up until it was closed. Vacationers would drive from the Soo to Searchmont and board the train there instead of at the Soo, in order to save a few dollars on the fare. It was especially popular with the moose hunters who wanted to avoid unloading a dead carcass in the busier Soo station on the return trip after the hunt.

Skiers would also ride the rails to Searchmont from the Soo as an added experience for their ski trip. The lumber mill was purchased by GW Martin Veneer in the 70's. I do not know who owned it then, but I suspect it may have been Weyerhauser.

My ex wifes grandfather once told me that he "start the mill in Searchmont". I am not sure if that meant that he owned it in it's fledgling years, or if he was an employee there, but in either case he was there when it was there when it first started operation I believe in the 30's. Thanks again for the great site, it sure brought back alot of memories!

Warm Regards,
Greg S.

I am working as a night watchman and your site has helped make the lonley night go by quickly. The Lourdes Grotto did not have a church there per se.When l was a kid attending St.Thomas seperate school in the French section in the 40's,we used to go to church services at the grotto.It was all outdoors.There was a platform where the altar stood.

The last time l visited the site,the was a water line near the platform.I met Ernie Savard and we remenisced about the site.

I too went Burwash on a number of occasions.My father was a wholesale plumbing and heating salesman and he took me to Burwash in the early 50's.It was booming then.

The next time was a week after the last prisoner had been shipped out prior to it's closure.The Ass't Superintendant gave my friend John and l a tour of the whole complex.People were still living there but not for long.

The last time l visited was as an officer with the 2nd Bn Irish Regiment of Canada. DND had taken over the site and we were on winter exercises.We froze our butts off. I love old places and things.Part of our present home dates to 1867.It was expanded in 1895 and 1927.

Bob

I was born in a house at the Frood Mine, because my father was at work underground and no one was around to give my mother a ride to the hospital.

The lady next door (Mrs. Simpkinson) brought me to the world on a cold December night in 1938. At the age of five I started school. I was one of the the 40 or so pupils going to the Frood School at the time. The Stobie Mine had 12 homes by the rockhouse which were used exclusively for management, about 9 kids came from there, the rest were all Frood kids.

I think the Stobie homes were removed around 1953. Our school had closed in 1955, after that all the children were bussed to schools in New Sudbury, the French Kids all went to the newly built Felix Ricard school just off Lasalle Blvrd.

Mrs Doherty was another resdient we all remembered fondly. She bred Corgies, and a pair reputedly made their way to Bukingham Palace ( The Queen is a great fan of Corgie's). Mrs Doherty also had a large vegetable which ironically still produced as late as 1998 (I retired in the winter of 1999) when I walked about the site of her house. I had found a number of potato plants, rhubarb, peas, and poppies! this house was situated on the last street (Bolger Ave) which was nearer to the Stobie Mine. We lived on Ritchie Crescent or just to the left past the gate.

Murray Penzim was the mines assayer, I remember he had the largest family at the mine, counting 6 kids. The 6 streets in Frood were called (Bolger, Ave, Ritchie Cresent, Ballantyne Ave, Dome Ave, Turner Ave., and De Lamar ave) They were all founders of INCO except Dome Ave, which was a gold mine at Red Lake they opened in 1926.

After I started at the Frood Mine in 1957 I was offered lodging at the mine. the one vacant house left was reserved for me, apparently management did not enjoy living at the site, so production personnel were given the first bids after management. In the 1950's the company town site was not very popular since every body owned a car by then and most liked the suburban atnosphere better than the grey mine site.

For me However I grew up at the Frood and the Frood was home. My father had moved here from Shawvill, Quebec in 1929, and never looked back. He even died in the town site at the age of 62 (in 1963). Even the mining accident that killed hime (actually a rock burst which injured 5 employees and killed my father, thank god it was instantly) was sort of a good omen. He always said he wanted to be buried in the Frood.

Well the compnay, I doubt very much, would have allowed that, but he died there, so at least its partially a consolation, for him anyway.

So good to see someone interested in the old Frood's history.

Barry

Hello there, my name is Jeremy and i just swung past the site. i love it,i went through most of the ghost towns checkin the pics and the videos out.i live here in ottawa and was employed by a big heating and refrigeration company that got to work on the Horaceville site.we installed AC and a furnace into the main house in the attic, plus cleaned the duct work.when i found out about us doin work there i was extremely excited seeing as a child my father would take me metal detecting when i was young, and i would walk around the old and weathered buildings looking for relics.my father would let me metal detect, and yes i have found some nice old coins from the early 1800's.

at 1 church near shawville quebec we got something like 10-12 coins from one hole alone.we have alot of the old style pennies that are around the size of a loonie from the early 1800's , some worth a few dollars but all were fun to find. i walked around horaceville on break and check the place out,there is a lil stream by where it is said the old mail was.when i was there ifound a perfectly rounded stone with a square cog hole in the middle of it.i left it there but put it out in the open ontop of a rock for others to see.

i really wanted to go over by the church , but its on different property now ,and there was a bunch of people in suits over there (looked like wedding party,maybe for pics).all said it is being restored as we speak, so maybe go check it out if ya get a chance.

the thing I'm after right now...and am having trouble finding is old mining maps/ghost town maps of Renfrew county or in the Ottawa valley close to the Pembroke area. if u have any idea where i could find any of this stuff it woule be a great help.ill keep yas posted on my treasure hunting adventures. thx guys.

Hi, Love your site. I was going to check out the Nobel ghost town, but instead got a warning not to do so. My uncle used to work for the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario and they were going to do some work in there but it is soo full of contamination that they had to scrap that idea completely.

Apparently, some of the chemicals that are leaking into the place get in the creeks and then if the creek dries up it can actually combust and start a fire. He was told do to a tox screen before and definately after going into the area.

Terrell

Really enjoyed looking over your site. Terrific and a trip down memory lane. As a young fella in the early 1950s and into the 60s was associated with many of the towns you cite..

Franz while in the employ of former Lands and Forests and if my memory serves me what you ID as Boarding House may have been a L&F Dorm for summer help. There was a Spadoni store o/o by Peter (Pietro) Spadoni.

Lands and Forests had a staff of Chief Ranger..fella by the name of Wayne Niemi, a resident Game Warden and his pack of dogs..his name was Pozo or Poso and a few summer Rangers and maybe a summer staff of twenty or so Jr. Rangers. They spent much of the summer doing L&F property improvement..landscaping, hauling much from a nearby swamp and spreading it over the property and then sodding it.

I worked later full timefor Marathon Corp, both mill and woodlands (up the Pic River from Heron Bay and back of Longlac.) The main depot in the woodland was Caramat..now a shell of its former self and further east on the railway (CNR) was a bustling townsite named Stevens.

Perhaps residence to several hundred sould..mostly season bushworkers but a number of permanent (?) homes. Shortly after I left the operations, the company transferred all the assets to nearby Caramat and fishing trip a decade ago revealed they'd done a first class at reverting the townsite back to nature. I couldn't even find a nail or pice of lumber to indicate it had been home to a small bustling community. In fact the last owners of the vast woodlands released their leases and pulled out lock, stock and barrel..npo more pulpwood harvesting in a former pice of crown land that was about the size of PEI. I have no pix of these years just warm memories. If you'd like official information on this once bustling community, am sure the Public Library of Marathon,ON. could help you out. They have an archive about the history of the area.

Another place you cite is Port Coldwell where so many Marathon mill employees called home and my last view of a place called Jackfish indicated what could best be described as a ghost town. Also there isn't much left of Heron Bay since the end of the logging era up the Pic River. For most of the productive years of Marathon Woodland, the logs came down the Pic in the spring..then boomed at Heron Bay and raftered to the mill for processing at Marathon. All this is Ontario History. Places like Little Longlac and Geraldton are now a shell of heir former glory days in gold mining.

While working at Camp 12 (Manitou Falls on the White Otter R. which flows into the Pic River), I was with the camp's recreation committee. At that time,we purchased all our ice cream, pop and sundries from the privately owned grocery store at nearby Stevens. I recommended we purchase directly from a supplier in Geraldton to cut-out the middle man charges. That was a teenager's rationale not thinking of Mr. Barret, a fine gentleman who owned the store in Stevens and I contributed to his economic downfall. Something I have had to carry on my conscience to this day and feel badly about.

However, as history would dictate, the interconnecting roadwork for logging purposes in the area soon didn't hold that private Company status. A highway was punched through connecting Caramat to Highway 11 and then it conected to the newly found