Spence, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Spence is a ghost town
in the Canadian
province of Ontario
, at the crossroads of the Nipissing Colonization Road and the Ryerson Road (now Nelson Lake Road). The name of the village came from Spence Township, named for former Postmaster General, Robert Spence
. Approximately 10 km north of Dufferin Bridge it was a small farming community.
By the 1870's, a general store was owned by Henry Clifford and a hotel operated by William Cameron. The post office was opened in 1872 by William Ashdown. From 1919 Effie Doherety took over the postal service until 1952 when it closed.
The Spence Inn (later named Simpson's Hotel) was operated by Levitt Simpson. It opened in 1878 and operated until 1911.
A second store was added, blacksmith shop, two sawmills, church and school. Hamilton Brown taught at the school, which was built in 1875, and also ran the Spence Inn. In its prime. the population was between 100-150 residents.
The community is now located in the municipality of Magnetawan
, in the Parry Sound District
.
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....
, at the crossroads of the Nipissing Colonization Road and the Ryerson Road (now Nelson Lake Road). The name of the village came from Spence Township, named for former Postmaster General, Robert Spence
Robert Spence (Canadian politician)
Robert Spence was a journalist and political figure in Canada West.He was born in Dublin in 1811 and came to Upper Canada in 1836. He taught school in Dundas. In 1846, he launched a newspaper, the Dundas Warder and Halton County General Advertiser. He helped promote the incorporation of Dundas as...
. Approximately 10 km north of Dufferin Bridge it was a small farming community.
By the 1870's, a general store was owned by Henry Clifford and a hotel operated by William Cameron. The post office was opened in 1872 by William Ashdown. From 1919 Effie Doherety took over the postal service until 1952 when it closed.
The Spence Inn (later named Simpson's Hotel) was operated by Levitt Simpson. It opened in 1878 and operated until 1911.
A second store was added, blacksmith shop, two sawmills, church and school. Hamilton Brown taught at the school, which was built in 1875, and also ran the Spence Inn. In its prime. the population was between 100-150 residents.
The community is now located in the municipality of Magnetawan
Magnetawan, Ontario
Magnetawan is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, as well as the name of a community within the former Township of Chapman.Located in the Parry Sound District, the township had a population of 1,610 in the 2006 Canadian census....
, in the Parry Sound District
Parry Sound District, Ontario
Parry Sound District is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its seat is Parry Sound. Its boundaries are Muskoka to the south, the Sudbury District, the French River and Lake Nipissing in the north, Nipissing District, Ontario and North Bay in the north and east and parts of...
.