Esmonde Ontario was a small settlement that sprang up along the Opeongo Colonization Road along the Ottawa River in to the Madawaska Highlands in the mid 1800s. Like many towns along the Colonization Roads, it was meant to be a farm town. Unfortunately the land proved to be unsuitable to farming and played out quickly, so settlers turned to timber.
At it’s height Esmonde had a population of 25 people. But they built a saw and shingle mill, a school and both and Anglican Church and an Roman Catholic Church. When the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway (which became the Canada Atlantic Railway,) opened in 1893 traffic along the Opeongo Colonization Road disappeared totally. This finally killed the town completely.
Today, the Roman Catholic Church still survives and is in use. Other notable buildings are the former town hall, now a community hall, and a small selection of farm buildings. If you have pictures of the church, or the statue in front of it, please post them below!
Farm Buildings in what is left of Esmonde
There is not a lot of information about Dacre Ontario. This despite the fact that it was the largest town on Lake Opeonogo, and was divided into Lower Dacre and Upper Dacre. It’s history is closely tied with nearby Mount St. Patrick. If you know more about the history of this town, please comment below.
Abandoned barn in Dacre
Home in Dacre Ontario
Balaclava Ontario was established as a timber mill in 1855. The mill was erected on Constant Creek by Duncan Ferguson and Donald Cameron. By 1860, the town had several houses, a hotel and a blacksmith shop. The mill was acquired by the Richards family in 1868. They operated the mill for the next 91 years.
Balaclava Mill Building
The mill was rebuilt in 1936 after a good deal of the original edifice was destroyed by fire. By the 1950’s, the area was exhausted of timber, and the mill was only producing a few thousand board feet a year. The mill was able to produce one million board feet a week at peak production. In 1959, the mill was shut down and the store closed as the production moved away.
Today there are still a few residents in Balaclava. Many of the original homes are still standing, but all are on private property.
Glanmire Ontario was a small village located on the Hastings Colonization Road north of Millbridge. The community was first founded in 1856, but a post office was not placed until late 1858. The original town was named Jelly’s Rapids after Andrew Jelly who owned the hotel.
When the post office was brought in, it was renamed after Glanmire Ireland. The Stage Coach brought travelers to (actually, through) town and had a hotel for their comfort. The post office moved mail between Millbridge and Thanet where it would later end up in York River (now named Bancroft.) In addition there was a school, store and a number of homes here.
The first post master was James Richardson who served from 1858 to 1861. He was succeeded by Andrew Jelly who ran the office from 1862 until 1866. Edward Tapp took over and ran it until 1869.
The town was doomed from the start. Land along the Road was infertile and few people could make a living off of it. Despite that, the town hung on for quite some time. The post office didn’t close until 1939, and the church lasted until it’s demolition sometime in the 1960s.
Today all the remains is the steps to the church, the graveyard, and a few ramshackle wooden buildings. The school building was moved to Millbridge and is now a storage building. The graveyard still seems an occasional burial, but who live here now are summers goers living in cottages nearby.
Closeup of Headstones in Glanmlre
Cross in Glanmire Cemetery
Glanmire Church Steps
Glanmire Church Steps from side
Old Glanmire Townsite