Aultsville, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Aultsville is a ghost town
in the Canadian
province of Ontario
. It is one of Ontario's Lost Villages
, which were permanently flooded by the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1958. The town was founded as Charlesville in 1787 by United Empire Loyalists
and reached its peak in 1880, when it had 400 residents. It was the second largest town flooded by the new Seaway, with a 1958 population of 312. Before its flooding, the abandoned buildings were burned to study the effects of fire on houses.
Families and businesses in Aultsville were moved to the new town of Ingleside
before the seaway construction commenced. Some old sidewalks, lanes, and yards can still be seen today. The historic train station
, built in 1856 by the Grand Trunk Railway
, was moved to Upper Canada Village
where it remains today.
Aultsville was named after Samuel Ault
, a local businessman who represented Stormont County
in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
and the Canadian House of Commons
.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It is one of Ontario's Lost Villages
The Lost Villages
The Lost Villages are ten communities in the Canadian province of Ontario, in the former townships of Cornwall and Osnabruck near Cornwall, which were permanently submerged by the creation of the Saint Lawrence Seaway in 1958....
, which were permanently flooded by the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1958. The town was founded as Charlesville in 1787 by United Empire Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists
The name United Empire Loyalists is an honorific given after the fact to those American Loyalists who resettled in British North America and other British Colonies as an act of fealty to King George III after the British defeat in the American Revolutionary War and prior to the Treaty of Paris...
and reached its peak in 1880, when it had 400 residents. It was the second largest town flooded by the new Seaway, with a 1958 population of 312. Before its flooding, the abandoned buildings were burned to study the effects of fire on houses.
Families and businesses in Aultsville were moved to the new town of Ingleside
Ingleside, Ontario
Ingleside is a small town in Eastern Ontario, Canada.When Farran's Point was flooded as part of The Lost Villages, the businesses of Farran's Point were moved to Ingleside....
before the seaway construction commenced. Some old sidewalks, lanes, and yards can still be seen today. The historic train station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
, built in 1856 by the Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
, was moved to Upper Canada Village
Upper Canada Village
Upper Canada Village is a heritage park in the village of Riverside near Morrisburg, Ontario, which depicts a 19th-century village in Upper Canada.-History:...
where it remains today.
Aultsville was named after Samuel Ault
Samuel Ault
Samuel Ault was an Ontario political figure. He was a Liberal-Conservative member of the Canadian House of Commons representing Stormont from 1867 to 1872....
, a local businessman who represented Stormont County
Stormont County, Ontario
Stormont County area is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario.Stormont was created in 1792, however, it was settled seven years earlier in 1785. Veterans of Loyalist regiments were among the first settlers...
in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the...
and the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
.