Rideau River at sunset - Andrewsville Ghost Town

[Manfred M]

This is a shot upstream of the Rideau River, at sunset, at the site of the former town of Andrewsville. There are a few houses around, but Andrewsville is considered to be a ghost town. The stone structures in the river are parts of the old dam. The Nicholson Locks of the Rideau Canal are behind the trees and to the camera left side.



http://www.ghosttownpix.com/ontario/towns/andrewsv.html

[Wavelength]

Lovely image!!!

[Shadowman]

Nicely composed.

[Donald]

Even without you introduction and the story in that link, you can see the the river had some sort of structure (the old damn) in it that nature is beginning to reclaim. And that tells us that we're looking at a piece of history past.

I always think of the families who came together and lived their lives wherever I see evidence of something like a village or just a house which is no longer is use. The children who used to play there.

So an image like this tells us that there is story to discover.

[Manfred M]

Even without you introduction and the story in that link, you can see the the river had some sort of structure (the old damn) in it that nature is beginning to reclaim. And that tells us that we're looking at a piece of history past.

I always think of the families who came together and lived their lives wherever I see evidence of something like a village or just a house which is no longer is use. The children who used to play there.

So an image like this tells us that there is story to discover.

Thanks Donald.

The stories of "ghost towns" in this part of the world are remarkably consistent.

Mills, generally saw mills and grist mills, were set up on parts of the river where there was a shift in elevation in the river flow. These areas were marked by waterfalls or rapids. The mills attracted a population base and the usual trappings of shops and churches would soon follow.

When the railroads were built, those settlements that were by-passed by the trains could not get their goods to market and disappeared over time. What was left are the ghost towns. There are a few places where there are buildings, but as most of the construction was wood the only remnants are foundations or stonework like the old dam in this image.