Top 3 Abandoned Places In West Nipissing

There are so many abandoned places in West Nipissing! This is a list of the top three abandoned places in West Nipissing. Browse through all abandoned places in West Nipissing

1. Desaulniers (ghost town)

Desaulniers began around 1895 when Father A.L. Desaulniers established the town. As settlers came to the area, the town saw a post office (built 1895) and a general store.

A sawmill was located beside the Canadian Northern Railway station which laid its tracks through the town in 1913. Nearby was a water tower and hotel for overnight guests. Lionel Vallieres opened a cheese factory. Two schools were built, one public school and one French Seperate School.

Around 1915, the townspeople erected a church. However because the church had never been consecrated, it wasn't considered an 'official' church. The bishop at the time, Monseigneur Scollard was of Irish descent. He didn't care for the French Canadians coming to the area. Ironic considering that the French made up the majority of the church's population (and revenue).

On September 16th, 1916, Scollard relented and officially 'opened' the church but did not go so far as to consecrate it.

In 1947, Wilfred Philipe bought the general store and expanded it to include hardware supplies, gas, seeding and even a telephone. It remained in operation until the 1960's.

The population began to decline in the 1950's and the post office closed in 1960.

Today, the railway leads back to the highway and into the town. The overpass on Highway 64 is actually the old railway line leading to the sawmil, the rails have been lifted. Part of the town was eradicated when the highway was realigned.

Location: Follow Highway 64 North (off from Highway 17) to the town of Field. Then take Highway 539 west until you come to Desaulniers. The Desaulniers Road is in the town, on your left. You can see the old hotel, from the highway. It is in Nipissing District.

2. 1914 Church

Sacred Heart church, built in 1914 has been closed since it was condemned two years ago. Different options were considered to repair the church, but all were deemed too expensive (~7M). Standing at the altar area, one can see how much the churched has bowed outward. The building suffered and unfortunate renovation in 1966 which saw the removal of the original interior. The walls, that had been hand stenciled were covered in cream coloured marble. The building is currently under demolition, although very much intact at the moment so still worth a look if you are in the area. Small crew of workers removing interior items. Some asbestos abatement happening in the furnace room, but only quasi-official it appears. the basement has several layers of ceiling, but at the very top you can see that it originally had a stamped tin ceiling at about twelve foot height! One can catch glimpses of how the church must have looked prior to the '66 renovation.

3. Schools Out for Summer

Built in the early forties, this school saw generations of children until it was closed in the 1980s. A new school was formed therafter and a large addition was built. It was decided recently to demolish the old portion of the school and build a new section. These photos were taken about a week before the entire thing was taken down. This building had real slate chalkboards still and brass coat hooks. A nod to an earlier time when quality was valued over mass production and price.