Horncastle (ghost community)

Horncastle is a ghost settlement of Carden Township in the City of Kawartha Lakes (formerly Victoria County) in the area just west of the old Victoria Road. The red marker on the map here is spot on.

Horncastle no longer appears on any maps. It lied near the edge of the granite country (Canadian Shield), and therefore had thin soil and frequent out-croppings of limestone. At one time it consisted of tamarack and balsam plains unbroken by any road or trail. The assessor in 1911 classified 38,256 acres as swamp, marsh, or wasteland. It lies at the north end of the Carden Plain- a geographic title that the famed, nearby bird sanctuary also uses.

"The chief settlements have been in the northwest and southeast corners of Carden Township. The Connors, Dexters, Gillespies, Murtaghs, Quigleys and Richmonds were among the earliest pioneers. Irish Roman Catholics were the dominant element in the population. The 1911 census gives the following racial classifications for Carden Twp.: Irish, 578; English, 148; Scotch, 69; German and Dutch, 90; all others, 19. The church adherents were as follows: Roman Catholic, 282; Methodist, 254; Presbyterian, 121; Anglican, 20; all others, 7. Rohallion in the south, Horncastle in the east and Dalrymple in the west had been rural post offices in the township."

Horncastle Schoolhouse:

The hamlet got its 1st schoolhouse in 1866 and was called SS #7, being located at 10th Concession, Lot 13. A second school was built in the late 1800(a)s just south at Concession 9, Lot 11. Photos of its foundations are included in the gallery. Getting to school in the spring was difficult as there were no roads for some students to take and they had to walk via pastures, forest and swamp.

One teacher, Mr Nichols, had only one foot and the kids would taunt him. One child, ran with his head down and plowed Nichols in the stomach by accident. He knocked the wind out of him. Another teacher, Mrs O(a)Boyle was so angered by one student that she whipped him 100 times. She was later charged in court by the boy(a)s father and had to pay $1 fine and court costs.

Horncastle(a)s population was at its max by 1910 when the school had become overcrowded; however locals began to move to the next township to the south, Eldon, and by 1922 there were only 5 students left.

Local names in the ghost community and at the school included: Teel, Holder, Millalley, Cassidy, Connolly, Ashby, Duggan, Martin, Jacob, Wylie and Tree. For in depth info about the school with great stories from students go here: http://ramaracardendalton.com/archives/60017

Here is a map of Carden Twp in 1872 showing the location of the original school: http://www.cardenhistoricalsociety.net/index.php?module=mediashare&func=display&mid=20

The first post office in the area was opened on the Victoria Rd and was called "Carden". It serviced the early pioneers in the region. The next post office was opened north of the Carden Post Office along the east side of Victoria Rd at Conc 1 Lot 8 of Laxton Township near to the modern Victoria Lake campground. The postmaster was G. Sharpe from 1882-1898. This was located just below the former North Quarter Line and one foundation still remains (check photos below). The last postmaster in the hamlet was John Millaley around 1911. His post office and store are marked by the square in the 1929 map below. Soon after came rural route mail delivery, but by this time most of Horncastle(a)s residents had moved on to greener pastures.

The Allens also settled Horncastle. At one point a Thomas Allen was charged once with abusive language. A relative, W. Allen, had a nephew who acquired smallpox.

To see a map showing its exact location in 1929 (with lots and concessions) go here: http://maps.chass.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/files.pl?idnum=1028. Look for Carden Township to the north just east of Lake Simcoe.

Murder Stories in Carden Township: Like many ghost town(a)s of the late 1800(a)s and early 1900(a)s Horncastle has its own murder stories to go along with it: http://carden-daltonhistorywebsite.net/index.php?name=News&catid=&topic=27