Amazing abandoned abodes

Whether once-loved residences or formerly bustling communities, these amazing abandoned homes across Canada are shadows of their former selves. Left to fall into decay, their crumbling exteriors, dusty hallways and long-forgotten belongings tell some of the tales of how they came to be left behind. Click or scroll to take a tour of Canada’s tumbledown treasures and uncover the fascinating stories hidden inside their walls.

Considered to be Canada’s most photographed property, Guyitt House is a fascinating relic of the past. The enigmatic abandoned home is located just off the historical Talbot Trail, close to the shoreline of Lake Erie in Chatham-Kent, southwestern Ontario. People have flocked to take snaps of this dilapidated dwelling for decades, however, this storied landmark may soon be wiped from the landscape for good, if controversial demolition plans go ahead.

Despite the home’s popularity, relatively little was previously known about its history. CBC tasked one of its journalists, Meg Roberts, to find out about the intriguing home in the summer of 2018 and the article she wrote about the property soon went viral. Roberts approached the estate’s current owner, Peter Anderson, whose grandparents, Roy and Ethel Guyitt, bought the house back in 1908. Peter’s childhood memories are punctuated with happy times spent at the house with his family. You can still find hand-carved hearts, circles and diamonds cut into the wood around the windows.

Reportedly built between 1840 and 1850, the historic home remained in the family but over the years the structure succumbed to the elements. When Peter became the legal owner, he was financially unable to complete all the repairs that were required. There was once a front porch and two barns at the rear of the house, but the latter burned down. The home’s windows have long since disappeared and part of the ceiling above Peter’s grandfather’s bedroom has collapsed. Nevertheless, in honour of his grandparents, Peter still ensures the lawn at the front of the house is well-maintained.

Sadly, the home’s fragile state has caught the attention of local lawmakers. A complaint about the property’s structural safety was reportedly made to the local municipality in August 2022. In September of the same year, Peter was told by officials that under the property standards bylaw, he had 14 days to make the house structurally sound or demolish it. Peter lodged an appeal to the order in April 2023, arguing that the complaint should be considered a trespassing issue, rather than a safety concern. He also argued that other structures across Chatham-Kent do not meet the specified bylaw.

While the committee acknowledged the property’s tourism value, the municipality rejected Peter’s appeal in May 2023, stating that one of their own inspectors had since found that the property violated property standards, so the original complaint was irrelevant. They emphasised that the bylaw exists to protect the public. Peter now has until 20 October 2023 to “pursue options to preserve and protect the property and/or to complete work to bring the property into compliance with the bylaw.” If Peter doesn’t meet the deadline, the home will be demolished.

 Documents from the appeal suggest Peter is considering applying for a heritage designation for the property, though he has not investigated this option further yet. The future doesn’t look promising for this local landmark, but the mysterious abandoned home is still undeniably endearing. Now overtaken by trees and bushes, the house has become an extension of the landscape and the structure shifts with the colours of the seasons. Despite the ruling, Peter still sees value in the home: “To me, it’s good that we preserve our heritage … I am only leaving it there for people to enjoy.” he told CBC.

This spooky abandoned home in Annapolis, Nova Scotia might be the ultimate fixer-upper, but it’s also been completely frozen in time. Sadly we don’t know when it was constructed, but we do know that its previous owner deserted it in haste…

The historic home spans 2,750 square feet and, despite its crumbling façade, boasts plenty of kerb appeal. Step inside and things take a slight turn, with the property’s rooms full to bursting with personal belongings and antique furnishings. For starters, someone’s long-forgotten jacket can still be seen hanging from the coat hooks in the entrance hall…

Going through to the large living room, you’ll find more historic furniture, including a grand piano. There’s also a dining room with its tablecloth still in place, and this rusty kitchen is equipped with old crockery and work boots. The walls, ceilings and floors throughout are in a general state of decay. However, there are plenty of eye-catching period fixtures, which are worthy of being restored. These include gorgeous original woodwork, fireplaces and timber floors.

There’s also an acre of land, five bedrooms, an old barn and a machinery shop that could be transformed into habitable accommodation. The amazing time-warp home was previously up for grabs for around CAD$289,900, ($214.7k/£172.7k), so a lucky buyer has got themselves quite the renovation project.

The town of Bents in Marriott, Saskatchewan was officially established in 1930, along the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) line that connected the communities of Perdue and Rosetown. Thanks to the train station, Bents began to grow in size and soon boasted residential homes, a dance hall, a general store, a post office and two grain elevators, including the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool elevator, which can be seen in the background of this picture.

Sadly, in the 1960s the southern section of the CPR rail line was abandoned, which quickly led to the town’s decline. It deteriorated so much that the long-standing Longworth’s General Store closed its doors. This haunting image shows the inside of the shop, which doesn’t appear to have changed much since the 60s. While the cash register is gone and the shelves are bare, there is the odd item scattered throughout the store, including an old ice skate, no doubt left behind when the town was vacated.

The railway continued to pass through Bents until it was completely removed in 1977, leaving any remaining residents deserted and preventing keen tourists from spending their money in the declining town. The grain stores were also closed, and while one still remains today (pictured here), the United Grain Growers elevator was demolished.

Sadly, very little remains of the town today. Of all the structures that were once bustling homes, only two remain. The post office can still be seen too, but it’s in a state of severe deterioration. Scattered across the village you’ll also find rusting farm machinery, metal swing sets and the odd personal belonging that was left behind in a hurry. Now private property, tourists are no longer permitted to explore the eerie ghost town unless by prior arrangement with the owner.

There’s nothing quite as appealing as a Victorian fixer-upper. With their soaring ceilings, statement fireplaces, grand staircases, oversized bay windows, decorative mouldings and gorgeous woodwork, these historic structures don’t have to try too hard to be considered dream home material. This one in Quebec is no different.

Nestled on an extensive half-acre lot, the house boasts a striking brick exterior with endless kerb appeal and a lovely wraparound deck for whiling away the hours. Inside, you’ll find lots of living space, all overflowing with stunning period details that would be worthy of being preserved.

There’s 3,100 square feet of space spread across three floors, including a formal sitting room and dining room. There’s a large retro kitchen that’s seen better days, five bedrooms and two bathrooms. While we don’t know why this striking Victorian abode was abandoned, we can certainly appreciate how beautiful it once was and could be again with the right amount of TLC.

There’s also an incredible vintage bathroom that we can’t help but adore. With its pink details, frilly curtains and eye-watering wallpaper, it’s a real insight into the interior design of yesteryear. The amazing historic home sold in 2018 for a mere CAD$75,465 ($56k/£45k). We wonder what the new owner did with the place…

Once set to become the biggest mansion in Canada, this sprawling home was never finished. Multi-millionaire Peter Grant, who made his fortune in wood, started working on his self-build project in 2005 when he bought a 43-acre plot next to Lake Temiskaming in Northern Ontario. Grant paid around CAD$122,000 ($90k/£73k) for the land and began crafting the building, which was to become his home and corporate office. Thanks to images captured by urban explorer Freaktography, we can still take a look around.

Grant’s mansion, which is said to span 65,000 square feet, was almost finished when the global economic recession left him without the funds to continue. Then, in 2009, Grant filed for court protection from creditors, who he owned approximately CAD$597 million ($442m/£355m). Shortly afterwards, all of Grant’s company assets, including his part-finished mansion, were put up for sale. The asking price in 2010 was a whopping CAD$25 million ($18.5m/£14.9m).

The mansion was snapped up by an unknown Toronto company, who is thought to still own the home to this day. Despite the many years it’s owned the property and the fact that the estimated completion costs were less than a million dollars, the unknown corporation hasn’t finished the work. Still uninhabited, security cameras surround the building, only adding to its mystique. Many of the exterior spaces have been damaged by vandals, while the interior remains littered with construction materials.

Inside, the abandoned building boasts huge winding corridors that lead to vast living rooms kitted out with floor-to-ceiling windows, grand fireplaces and statement brick walls. There’s a massive atrium with a soaring ceiling, two discarded swimming pools and a colossal stone waterfall that appears to spill outside from the home’s interior. Watch this space to see if this incredible home is ever finished as intended…

Dating back to around 1799, The Easson House is a very rare example of a residential home that has been occupied throughout the centuries. Still mostly in its original condition, the home lies in Lequille, Nova Scotia, and is a truly fascinating piece of real estate. Let’s step inside…

The home’s interior is hauntingly preserved, with everything from Christmas decorations to the previous owner’s belongings scattered around each room. The entrance hall boasts a retro shag-pile carpet, a unique curving staircase and dainty pink wallpaper, leading through to dual living rooms that appear to have been left untouched for many years.

The house measures 1,700 square feet and there are lovely period details throughout, including high ceilings, original fireplaces and sash windows. The stuff of real estate nightmares, the house also happens to be filled with rather creepy dolls, no doubt left behind by the previous owners.

There’s even a huge attic that still harbours old suitcases and personal effects. We certainly don’t fancy heading up here on our own. If you want to delve deeper into its history, The Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia dedicated a section of their book Seasoned Timbers to the house, and it was recently designated a Municipal Heritage Property. The Easson House was previously for sale for roughly CAD$251,400 ($186.1k/£149.7k). Here’s hoping this historic home got the happy ending it deserves.

Upon first glance, this quaint hillside community might look like it belongs in Switzerland, but Edelweiss Village is in the heart of British Columbia. The community was created between 1910 and 1912 as the base for the Swiss guides, mountaineers from Switzerland hired by the Canadian Pacific Railway to help tourists navigate the peaks of the surrounding Rocky Mountains. The guides lived and worked here between May and September each year.

The Canadian Pacific Railway came up with an ingenious idea to ensure the workers felt at home in Canada. They decided to build six Swiss-style chalets in a picturesque rural location, naming the community after the iconic mountain flower the Edelweiss. But the new village wasn’t perfect. Amenities were hard to reach and the houses were purportedly cold and draughty in winter and horribly hot in summer. Soon the residents moved to central Golden, where they could live more comfortably.

Each historic house in the ghost town is entirely unique and bursting with lovely period features. Each chalet was named after the guide who lived there and the original signage can still be seen decorating the front of some of the structures. You’ll find vintage interior design features such as floor-to-ceiling stone fireplaces, shag-pile carpets and antique furnishings, while most are equipped with an exterior balcony, allowing for unobstructed mountain scenery.

Despite being left vacant, a descendant of an original Swiss guide, Walter Feuz, has worked tirelessly to preserve the buildings. In fact, some believe they should be protected and given landmark status, so there were concerns when the village was listed for sale in late 2021 for just over CAD$2.2 million ($1.6m/£1.3m). The village sold, but there’s currently no news about what will become of it. Watch this space!

Many abandoned homes are shrouded in mystery, but this one definitely wins the award. Photographer Freaktography, who goes only by Dave, headed inside the property in rural Ontario to take some snaps. But he wasn’t quite prepared for what he found inside. And we’re not just referring to the discarded personal possessions that can be found in every room…

According to Dave, the home’s history began to be written at the turn of the 20th century, when a Polish family moved to Ontario and bought the place. They reportedly made their living selling fruit from their orchard, which quickly became popular with locals. Then, in 1985, they abruptly left the house, leaving their family photos and personal effects behind. Left to decay for 35 years, the home is frozen in time.

According to relatives of the family, the couple had three children, but their eldest son developed a drinking problem and one day in 1979, he reportedly hit a pregnant woman and her two-year-old child while driving under the influence, sadly killing them both. He was sent to prison for three years, and due to the shame they felt, the family went into hiding. When their son was purportedly arrested for drink-driving again in 1984, they decided to leave the area for good.

The house remains strangely untouched, with the kitchen cupboards filled with canned foods and the bedroom closets still containing dresses and suits. A calendar from 1979 hangs from one of the walls and Dave even found a plastic bag tucked behind a mattress, containing CAD$9,300 ($6.9k/£5.5k) in cash. He contacted the daughter of the family, who’s now the owner of the home and reunited the money with its original owners. Take the full tour here.

In the city of Burlington, Ontario, this abandoned house was discovered and documented by Dave at Freaktography in 2017. According to Talking Walls Photo, it was vacated when the previous owners defaulted on their mortgage payments. But before they left the mid-century modern home, they installed plenty of unusual features…

Inside, the home boasts expensive fixtures, including marble floors, huge stone feature walls and plenty of glass. There’s a large foyer that’s akin to a waiting room, numerous living spaces that have been partly renovated and six bedrooms that would once have been lavish sleeping quarters. Other highlights include the home’s indoor swimming pool with waterfront views.

Yet there’s more to the mansion than meets the eye. For example, the bathroom in the master suite highlights just how flashy (and wealthy) the home’s former owners were. Decked out with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, the space is almost too much to take in. There’s no room for modesty here. Yet this isn’t the home’s most surprising space…

That’s right, hidden behind a door in the luxurious basement is this incredible red room. Kitted out with a vibrant carpet, leather chairs and fabric-covered walls and ceilings, the space has likely seen its fair share of parties. Described by EffortTrustRealty as an “adult cabaret lounge”, the space even has an all-black bathroom. In 2019 the property was sadly demolished and the nearly three-acre lot went up for sale for around CAD$6.5 million ($4.8/£3.9m).

Dating back to 1901, the authentic company village of Val-Jalbert in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec was founded around a pulp mill located at the base of the Ouiatchouan Falls. The mill was constructed by local Damase Jalbert and pulp production began in 1902. As the mill’s success increased, so did the village’s.

Three years after the pulp mill opened, Damase Jalbert passed away and the company faced major cash problems, until it was bought by the Compagnie de pulpe de Chicoutimi, headed by Joseph-Édouard-Alfred Dubuc, in 1909. After this, the mill and Val-Jalbert village underwent several years of modernisation. In fact, in the early 1920s, the village became known for its modern conveniences and was the envy of the surrounding communities.

But then, between May 1924 and December 1925, most of the mill workers were laid off, following administrative setbacks. It was temporarily closed until 1926 and a year later production halted permanently and the village was quickly deserted. In 1942, the Québec government took ownership of the eerie ghost town.

The residents of Val-Jalbert left behind their traditional timber homes, as well as the school, shops and restaurants that once lined its main thoroughfare. In the 1960s, the community was revived and opened to the public, offering a fascinating insight into life during the Roaring Twenties. Today, the old mill is the pièce de résistance of the historic village and has been transformed into a museum.

Is there anything more haunting than an abandoned farmhouse? This stately but ghostly building is positioned in the idyllic Ottawa Valley in Ontario and is surrounded by five sprawling acres of land. As for the interior, the property appears to have been left in a rush.

The house dates back to the turn of the 20th century and features a unique interior filled with retro touches. From vintage furnishings to wood-clad walls and mustard carpets, there’s plenty to fill you with nostalgia.

There’s an old-fashioned living room, a dated and dusty kitchen and four bedrooms. According to the last listing agents, the home has been unoccupied for several years, but you’ll still be able to spot traces of the previous owner in every room.

This isn’t the only structure on the old farm, either. There are also several timber barns that are ripe for restoration. However, the house was listed for sale for roughly CAD$138,500 ($103k/£82k) in December 2021, but it was removed from the market just five days later, with no explanation. Make of that what you will…

Rowley lies close to Drumheller, in Starland County, Alberta and is brimming with history, as well as plenty of cool structures and remnants from the past. Yet unlike many of Canada’s historic industrial settlements, this one still has nine permanent residents, although looking at the town’s ramshackle buildings you’d never know.

Much like Bents, Rowley was created when a new train line was constructed through the town. With the increased foot traffic came new homes and businesses, as well as grain stores where locals worked. In the 1920s, the town is thought to have had in the region of 500 residents, but by the mid-1970s the community was dying out. Sadly, in 1999 the last train passed through Rowley and only a few residents remained.

The cool ghost town is actually currently being restored by the remaining residents, who have pulled together to save many of the old pioneer buildings, including the railway museum, prairie school and the historic Sam’s Saloon, which now serves refreshments to keen tourists. Locals also apparently purchased the old grain elevators for a dollar. But there are plenty of abandoned structures across the town that are yet to be rescued.

Despite their efforts, and the town’s renewed popularity with visitors, there are still plenty of eerie spots around Rowley that can be explored. For example, this old structure, which could have been a home or possibly a church, appears to have suffered some fire damage, but with a little TLC could be returned to its former glory. Watch this space!

A waterside home in Nova Scotia sounds idyllic doesn’t it? This deserted dwelling was completed in 1922 and stretches some 2,600 square feet. From the outside, you can admire its original clapboarding, however, it’s clear that time has taken a toll on this rundown historic relic.

The wooden home benefits from a unique interior decked out with old-fashioned architectural features and, of course, plenty of debris. The paintwork is peeling from the walls, the carpets are stained and dusty and some of the windows are in serious need of repairs.

There’s a large living room, divided up by a statement fireplace, an old kitchen, a dining zone, four bedrooms and a bathroom. The attic upstairs is also ripe to be transformed into a master suite, although it needs some serious repair work. Just look at that ceiling and floor!

But if you overlook the home’s crumbling interior and take in its amazing setting and scenery, it isn’t hard to imagine this property being restored and returned to its former beauty. The property hit the market back in 2020 with RE/MAX for a mere CAD$99,650 ($74k/£59k). It appears to have sold, so with any hope, this diamond in the rough has been given the care it needs.

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