Ontario Abandoned Places will be rebranded as Ominous Abandoned Places

Barber Dynamo

Abandoned Foundations in Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada

Jun 26 2012

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Recent status Abandoned
Location # 4974

 The Barber Dynamo was the first electrical generating plant to supply an industrial plant in North America.  Built in 1888, the Dynamo generated electricity from a dam across the Credit River. It also served as a home to the Alexander family. Two wires carried the power up to the Barber  Mill on River Road, 3 Km away. It served the industrial needs of John R. Barber until 1913, after which the Mill was served by Ontario Hydro. James Charles Alexander (1874-1954) was the employee at the Barber Mills given the task of running the Dynamo. He moved into the dynamo with his wife Maud (Claridge), his daughter Edith, his son-in-law Gerry King and two grandsons. His responsibilities included turning the power on and off, maintaining the machinery and being on hand at all times. Requests were telephoned from the Mill down to the Dynamo. The night operator of the Dynamo was William Snyder, who lived at the top of hill to the east of the Paper Mill. He walked to work along the railway tracks to the trestle about 3/4th of a mile upstream, climbed down into the ravine and followed a path along the river - doubtless the same path hikers use today. A spring flood of ice took out the Paper Mill dam in 1911, which crippled the Dynamo as well. After it became redundant in 1913, Alexander continued to live there as caretaker. Young Edith Alexander took to her bed here on Christmas Day, 1918 with the Spanish Influenza. She stayed in bed until Easter Sunday. His wife Maud died there of pneumonia on 31 March, 1923, in spite of the doctor traveling across the fields from the 10th Line to help her. Another tragedy occurred 6 weeks later when 2 year old Terry King, following his father to work, became lost and was discovered dead under the old iron bridge on 15 May, 1923.

The Dynamo was boarded up and abandoned after that. Charlie Alexander moved to a cottage on Hall Road in Georgetown. He later advertised for a wife and married Jessie Gertrude Bryant of London, England.
This building is on the other side of the river and can only be reached by trekking through the woods for about a half an hour.

Comments

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10 years ago

I took a few shots with my 35mm. I'll scan and post them when I finish the roll.

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10 years ago

If you park at the end of 10th line to enter BEWARE! You have to park on a public road, which is a dead end. Once you get out, you cross some tracks to reach the trail. The problem is, there is a crazy lady who calls the police on all cars at the end of the road. My first visit I saw an officer waiting for someone to return to their car. My second visit, a jogger told me there was a insane lady ye

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11 years ago

Nice galleries. Basically something from all seasons here now.

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11 years ago

awsome place

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11 years ago

Went there today, quite the hike. enter on the east side of the bridge on River rd via the bruce trail side trail (blue blazes) keep your eyes on the blue blazes, many are barely visible, a couple of spots it's easy to lose your direction....beware poison ivy. Saw some deer, that's alway's nice :-) Thank's paul for the accurate map

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11 years ago

I've heard about this place just down the river from the old mill, just never seen it, pretty neat. Will have to check it out

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11 years ago

Nice work BPS! I've been waiting for someone to post pics from here.

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11 years ago

I get so attracted to historic, raised foundations like this, especially when they're buried in a forest. I'll hike for hours to reach a place like this. Thanks for nailing the location spot-on there on the map.

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11 years ago

That is amazing, great find and write-up.

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11 years ago

Love the history of this place.

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11 years ago

love it---surprised no one found this before.

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11 years ago

Great find! I never knew about this second treasure on the same stretch of River.