Millington (ghost town)

The town of Millington began in the mid 1850’s as a small farming community. As the number farmers increased so did the businesses that served the small town.

C. Champlin opened his blacksmith shop. A. Kelly and A. McDonald opened carpentry shops. Other entrepreneurs included the shoemaker, shingle-maker and weaver. John Warrington served as postmaster from 1863 until 1866. A Methodist church was built around this time as well.

By 1869 the population of Millington stood at approximately 63 residents.

Now the town could claim a sawmill to supply lumber for farms and a town hall which served as a meeting place for the locals. Mrs. Prudhomme owned the local hotel and bar, J. McHugh served as councilor and R. McDonald was the appointed road commissioner.

A brief population increase in the late 1870’s resulted in a school being built and in 1885, Alex P. McDonald reopened the former post office. In 1888 the old one-room wooden school was replaced by a yellow brick building.

By the 1890’s the population spurt was over and the sawmill cut its last foot of lumber. As with so many other towns, Millington’s population began to decline when the railway bypassed it by 2 km to the north and 3 km to the south. This left travelers to opt for other hotels closer to the railway. There actually was a Millington Station 4.5 kms NW of Millington on Concession 11, just NE of Uptergrove. Millington was on a CNoR line that was connected directly to the CPR at Atherley.

The post office closed in 1914, the year marked by Royal Mail(a)s (Canada Post(a)s) new implementation of rural route mail delivery service.

Today you will find the brick schoolhouse, the hotel, the town hall and other wooden buildings if you look hard.. All other remains of Millington have vanished. From Orillia take Highway 12 East until you reach the school house at Concession 7 and Sideroad 15. This was the southern extent of the village. The sawmill and town hall were located directly east of Sideroad 15 where Hwy. 12 bends southward. Hwy 12 existed back then exactly as it does now.

1869 Info. includes this: A village in the township of Mara, 60 miles north of Whitby. Population about 60.

Andrews, H., farmer McDonald, R., road commissioner Champlin, C., blacksmith McHugh, J., councillor Carney, M., shoemaker McLean, P., weaver Ferguson, J., shinglemaker Prodomme, Mrs., hotelkeeper Kelly, A., carpenter WARRINGTON, JOHN, Postmaster Kelly, O., hotel keeper Mcdonald, A. P., carpenter

Millington Post Masters- Post Office Established 1863-04-01 to 1914-04-11

John Harrington 1863-04-01 to 1866-09-13 Resigned- Closed Alex P. McDonald 1885-07-01 to 1891-11-24 Death (reopened) Alex J. McDonald 1892-01-01 to 1893-03-22 Resigned P.G. McDonald 1893-06-01 to 1895-03-18 Resigned P. George McDonald 1897-05-01 to 1904-12-22 Resigned Frank Egan 1905-01-09 to 1913 Death Mrs. Susan Egan 1913-06-13 to 1914-04-11 Closed R.M.D.