Kennaway (ghost town)

Kennaway is a ghost town in northern Haliburton just south of Algonquin Park. Early farming/logging pioneers inlcuded names like: Peaver, McCrea, Narseau (Native), Scott, Leeson, Roberts and Watt.

It was close to a Native community and was connected to it by a trail that ran north into Algonquin Provincial Park. There was a cemetery with inhabitants as well as natives that were buried there.

In 1869, Charles Roberts was granted money to build a grist mill on the creek that ran from Fishtail Lake to Elephant Lake.

By the 1870s it had a Post Office and was run by Thomas Scott out of his log cabin in 1892.

A schoolhouse was erected which was also used as a church. Its clergy would travel in from larger nearby towns- the closest being Wilberforce and Harcourt.

By the 1920(a)s and 1930(a)s square dances were held in the schoolhouse for the community and the natives. Mr. Ron Mumford played in the band. His mother was one of the last teachers at the schoolhouse.

By WW2 the population declined greatly at Kennaway as the bush farms were abandoned. The school shut down for good after serving only two of the hamlet(a)s remaining families.

Today the school still remains as a private camp, a wooden home sits further down the road, and some of its bush camp(a)s cabins lie sagging or rotting on different roads to the south.

To see photos of this ghost town check here: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/history/material_culture/cmartine/index.html