Swords, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Swords is a ghost town
in central Ontario
, Canada
in the township of Seguin
in the District of Parry Sound
.
As with Seguin Falls
, Swords was a whistlestop along the Booth railway
. When the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway
came through with the railway, they built a small flag stop and siding and named it Maple Lake Station.
The railway brought lumbering to the area and in 1894 the Ludgate Lumber Company bought large amounts of land and began cutting down trees. The company built a general store and three workers homes south of the tracks. In 1904 a school house was built for the children.
In 1925 the name of the town was changed to Swords, after the Sword family who live around that area, to avoid confusion with another Maple Lake Station. The Swords were responsible for operating many of the businesses in the area and the Swords were voted to have the town named after them. One such business was the Maple Lake Hotel, owned by John and Annie Sword. Annie would stop and inspect the boots of the lumbermen to ensure that they didn't have hobnails, making them likely to scuff the hotel floor. In this case she would place a shingle over the hobnails, rendering the boots safe. The hotel stood until the late 60's or early 70's. A store still stands there to this day but has suffered several break-ins and is in a general state of disrepair.
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 central 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....
, Canada
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...
in the township of Seguin
Seguin, Ontario
Seguin is a township in central Ontario, Canada, in the District of Parry Sound. The township was incorporated on January 1, 1998, by amalgamating the former townships of Humphrey, Foley, Christie, and the western half of Monteith with the village of Rosseau....
in the District of Parry Sound
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...
.
As with Seguin Falls
Seguin Falls, Ontario
Seguin Falls is a ghost town and unincorporated place on the Nipissing Colonization Road in the township of Seguin, Parry Sound District in northeastern Ontario, Canada.-History:...
, Swords was a whistlestop along the Booth railway
John Rudolphus Booth
John Rudolphus Booth was a Canadian lumber and railway baron. He controlled logging rights for large tracts of forest land in central Ontario, and built a railway to extract his logs; and from Ottawa through to Vermont to export lumber and grain to the United States and...
. When the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway
Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway
The Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway is a historic Canadian railway that operated in central and eastern Ontario from 1897 until 1959.It was a common carrier railway, although it was primarily used to transport timber from logging operations as well as haul cargo from western Canada via the...
came through with the railway, they built a small flag stop and siding and named it Maple Lake Station.
The railway brought lumbering to the area and in 1894 the Ludgate Lumber Company bought large amounts of land and began cutting down trees. The company built a general store and three workers homes south of the tracks. In 1904 a school house was built for the children.
In 1925 the name of the town was changed to Swords, after the Sword family who live around that area, to avoid confusion with another Maple Lake Station. The Swords were responsible for operating many of the businesses in the area and the Swords were voted to have the town named after them. One such business was the Maple Lake Hotel, owned by John and Annie Sword. Annie would stop and inspect the boots of the lumbermen to ensure that they didn't have hobnails, making them likely to scuff the hotel floor. In this case she would place a shingle over the hobnails, rendering the boots safe. The hotel stood until the late 60's or early 70's. A store still stands there to this day but has suffered several break-ins and is in a general state of disrepair.