Ghost Towns of Ontario, Vol. 2

Janet Arnett is the former campus manager of adult education at Ontario’s Georgian College. She is the author of Antiques and Collectibles: Starting Small, The Grange at Knock, and 673 Ways to Save Money.

With a 20-year gap between volumes, it is no exaggeration to say that
Brown’s fans have been waiting a long time for this guide.

The wait has been worthwhile. Daytrippers and vacationers alike will
appreciate knowing about 60 more ghost towns to visit and explore. For
each, Brown includes an overview that outlines the town’s beginnings,
growth, and main characteristics, along with the reason for its
downfall. To these essays he always brings a sense of respect for the
past and for the people whose lives were so closely tied to the lost
towns. With hindsight he can often see that a town’s fate was
inevitable, yet he is never cavalier about the experiences reflected in
the few remaining bits of evidence that people with plans for the future
once lived there.

For each town the guide includes a photo, information on what to see,
and directions for how to get there.

For Brown, a ghost town is not a town with ghosts, but a town that is a
ghost of its former self, “offering something of the past to conjure
the ghosts of bygone days.” Many of these were mill or mining towns,
or towns the railways passed by. One, Lemieux, was abandoned when it was
found to be built on quicksand or “deadly dirt.”

Social historians and all those who yearn to touch the past will find
the guide of interest.