Top 3 Abandoned Places In Severn Township

There are so many abandoned places in Severn Township! This is a list of the top three abandoned places in Severn Township. Browse through all abandoned places in Severn Township

1. Uhthoff (ghost town)

Uhthoff is the sister ghost town of Foxmead. Both villages became ghost towns after the railway lines were lifted. Foxmead is marked by signs while Uhthoff is not.

The village had 3 shingle saw mills close by, a post office, blacksmith, Orange Hall, a store, a church and a flag station on the railway line. 6 homes existed on the east side of Uhthoff Line. The station was originally a stop on the Midland Railway, and is named for Fesser Uhthoff & Co., London, England. At the time the railway was built (1875), this firm was its agent for cargo in London.

The mills closed in 1905 but limestone quarry operations then opened here and continue in a huge pit. By 1911 the CPR began a railway near the quarry. This became "New Uhthoff". The old Midland Railway tracks had been removed by 1968 and later the CPR tracks were lifted too. These are still visible as trails to this day.

To get here take Hwy. 12 north from Orillia to Fairgrounds Rd., turn right and head north to Thorburn Rd. Uhthoff was located in the Thorburn Rd. and Uhthoff Line area.

A few homes remain, a very old cedar fence on the south side extends a long way and the old railway lines run clear through the old and new Uhtoff hamlets.

Apparently today there is a hockey team called the "Uhthoff Nationals" but I can guarantee they don(a)t play games in the hamlet as there is certainly no arena nearby. They must play in Orillia.

I found the remains of what I think was the Orange Hall on Uhtoff Line just south of Thorburn Rd. and just north of the old tracks.

2. Foxmead (ghost town)

Foxmead was a ghost town throughout the 1900(a)s but newer homes in the area has brought the population back. Uhthoff is the sister ghost town of Foxmead. Both villages became ghost towns after the Midland Railway lines and CPR lines were lifted. Foxmead is marked by signs while Uhthoff is not.

Foxmead was named after settlers John Fox and John Mead. Others settled the area like: James Hadden and WB Strathearn. It peaked in 1890 as the village grew to include a school, church, shingle and saw mill, a lime kiln, blacksmith, a post office and a pop. of 100. By 1900 it was in decline. By 1940 the post office and store moved to nearby Bradley Corners. This became the "new" Foxmead- as the old village site was removed (including the train station- in 1970). East of the former railway lines there are vague depressions where the old village once stood- 2.5 kms east of the new Foxmead.

Take Hwy 12. north from Orillia to Dunn(a)s Line and turn right. Then take next right at Foxmead Rd. to the next intersection. This is the new Foxmead. Go further east to the school and then past to the 2 old railway trail lines..The first railway trail with the "Foxmead" sign was part of the original town site. I have added new photos taken here Apr. 2010.

3. 2 Railway Bridges in Coldwater

One abandoned, one repurposed. Abandoned one is on the former Canadian Pacific line, it is a steel through plate girder bridge. Located a couple hundred feet north of the Home Hardware store, easy to spot in the winter, well hidden by foliage in summer.

Repurposed one is a half mile or so north, also easy to spot (located near the road). It is a wood pile trestle on the old Canadian National line, now serving as access for a few homes on the west side of Coldwater River. One of those homes is the former railway station.

There is a connection between these bridges and a number of other places such as Midland, Port McNicoll and even Lindsay: At one time the route between Midland and Lindsay was known as the "grain route", grain was transferred from boats to the elevators located in Midland and Lindsay, then to rail cars to continue the journey. Lindsay was the eastern end of the grain route.

CN had their facilities at Midland, CP at Port McNicoll. Both lines ran roughly paralell through the Coldwater area, just outside Port McNicoll the CP line crossed over CN on a bridge and then across the Hogs Bay trestle to reach their grain elevator. Piers for the bridge can still be seen beside Highway 12, along with the old concrete "hole in the wall" that used to be the Highway 12 underpass through the CP line(a)s embankment.

Sources:

Last Trains from Lindsay, Keith Hansen, 1997.
Steam Memories of Lindsay, Ian Wilson, 2010