Jerusalem (ghost town)

A true ghost town, as it is hard to find even in the history books. As the land was painstakingly cleared for crops, 8 buildings were erected; but it is not known if they were part of a community or of a group of homesteads deep in the forest. The site was located in the area to the furthest west lot owned by Thomas Peacock in Macaulay Twp. at Lot 8 Concession 9. Peacock owned 2 other lots near today's Springdale Park. He was a religious man and founded the community by not only naming it Jerusalem, but also naming the large granite rock face to the east of his home "The Hill of Judea"..

Jerusalem never had a post office. They had to travel miles to the west into Falkenburg to get their mail. The children would have had to walk approx 3-4 miles in deep snow to get to the school well north of Falkenburg. I can't even imagine the hardships these kids went through.

The general location is marked on the map below. Also included is the 1880 Lot/Concession map in the photos. We were on the J Goggin Lot at 8 Concession 6. This must have come under the ownership of the Peacock's soon after the 1880 map was drawn up. Peacock's original lot may have once had a log shanty on it, but today nothing at Lot 8, Concession 9 was even remotely looking like it was cleared for a homestead.

Read this new article http://gravenhurstmuskoka.blogspot.ca/2015/10/through-muskoka-bush-to-jerusalem.html

And here is their homestead http://familia.evemor.com/photo-1000398_189142092_189142092/peacock-homestead-jerusalem-1904