On one of Ontario’s earliest-built roads you’re going to find the ghost town of Brudenell, ‘Sin Bin of the Opeongo’, and some spooky stories…
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If you travel the Opeongo Line, one of Ontario’s earliest-built roads, you’re going to find at least one ghost town, and lots of spooky stories…
Back in the 1850s, the Canadian government proposed that the Opeongo Line run west from the Ottawa River to Opeongo Lake in present-day Algonquin Provincial Park, and then continue on to Georgian Bay. European immigrants were lured to this area with the promise of fertile farm land. Many moved on when they discovered a very rocky landscape. Today, along the old Opeongo Line and on nearby back roads, ghost towns like Brudenell, Foymount, Balaclava and Letterkenny remind us of what once was. Lonely, haunted grey-timbered buildings and split-rail fences, and on the highest point of land around, even an abandoned radar line designed to detect Soviet-era bombers coming over the polar ice cap.
[wpvideo 5cuwa4pE]
Head to the top of Foymount to get a sense of its past. This highest point of land in the area is where NORAD operated the Pinetree Radar Line from the early 50s to the 70s. You’ll find a series of old, abandoned NORAD buildings giving the place a ghostly feel. The view of the surrounding countryside is stunning.
On November 12, 1912, a wicked storm sent the Mayflower, a local steamer, to a watery grave. Nine people perished. Three managed to cling to a dead man’s coffin on board the ship and were saved.
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Dead Man Saves Three Lives!
In the 1870s Brudenell had three hotels with taverns, stores, blacksmiths and even a racetrack.
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Back in the 1870s, the ghost town of Brudenell was the ‘Sin Bin’ of the Opeongo Line.
Gambling, drinking and apparently lots of sex could be had in Brudenell. The old Roman Catholic Church is still active today, but not much else.
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We discovered this ghostly-looking nest on a back road – likely the handiwork of an Osprey.
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It looks very peaceful today, but over yonder, where you see water, is where the steamer Mayflower went down on November 12, 1912, taking nine lives with her.
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An 1867 survey shows just two roads… the Opeongo Line and Skead Road into the old lumber camp of Depot Point.
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Old cast iron and metal tools from the 19th century community of Depot Point near Algonquin Park.
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As a little girl, we would visit with my great- uncle (by marriage) at that old hotel …turned grocery store – in Brudenell. We thought it was haunted.
Thanks for the post, somehow my parents missed taking us on the brothel tour, even though I spent my first 9 summers camping on mile long, sugar sand, Hinterland Beach on Lake Kaminiskeg. Parents never told us the story of the Mayflower either, probably because we were out fishing on it every day
I grew up next to Our Lady of the Angels. Fields, woods, abandoned houses. Caves, trees, graves. I love my ghost town.
Scott, I bet your last name begins with V.
I also grew up in Brudenell
http://Www.therakebook.com is set there
We go on week long atv trips where we just go and find a camp site every night but one day we stumbled open this road and somehow no mater where we went we kept getting sucked onto this road and then we came to a trail that led to a large feild of boarded houses and at this point it was about mid night and my uncal s bike blew an axel we towed to a strange old mans house he let us store it there but the guy has done 3 inch long toe nails so we gave him the name toe nail master the night went on and strange stuff like screeching and human size things running at us kept happening so eventually we make it out then fast forward a couple months we get stuck there again more weird shit happens and after a couple hours we made it out again I would like to see this place in the daytime but I would advise u don’t go at night
Whoh!! That sure sounds ghostly Hayden. I was there during daylight hours myself … think I’ll keep it that way. – Glenn
My great-great grandfather (Michael James Neville) was granted a plot of land somewhere along the Opeongo Line. I’m searching for more on exactly where. He and his family didn’t last long there (~ 5 yrs) before moving into the area of either Eganville or Pembroke.
There is a wonderful old pioneer cemetery at green address tag #848 Church Street Wilno. Many old wooden crosses some rotten on the ground many unmarked graves. Check it out.
That’s the vampire graveyard. I’ve been there, It’s terrifying. It feels like someones watching you the whole time. And there are many unnamed child graves which certainly gives you chills.
There are no “vampires” there, only pioneers. There is a lot of history there if you spend time reading the gravestones and communing with the spirits of departed ancestors. My two most interesting “residents” are in the back:- Marianna Krewta (1829-1937) and “Franciszek Galka” (1911-1932), both in the back:- nie umieraj?, o których my nie zapominamy (they do not die whom we do not forget).
That hotel pictured here was up for sale a few years back and I thought about purchasing it to renovate and restore to its former beauty. It suddenly disappeared off the market.
Dawn,
The stories continue then!
Glenn
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Hi Glenn,
Thanks for all this wonderful information!
Would you be able to direct me to the website on or publication in which you found that old map? I’d love to look at it more closely.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!
Steph