Demorestville (Ghost Town)

Demorestville was a bustling town in the 1800's, larger at the time than York (Toronto). It once had a grist mill and a saw mill as well as a carding and fulling mill powered by a creek fed by the nearby Fish Lake. There were also six general stores, three blacksmiths, a furniture factory, tannery and plow shop among the modern amenities available. Demorestville also boasted the County's first grammar school, newspaper and the first canning factory in Ontario to process tomatoes.

The growing town had earned the nickname of Sodom as in the story of the twin cities of Sodom and Gommorah due to the number of taverns, brothels and hotels and other houses of ill repute. There is still a nod to this historic nickname in the name of Gommorah road to the west of the town.

Demorestville now only has a population of about 200. In the early 1900's a massive fire destroyed most of the town decimating local businesses. You can still see the remains of some of these businesses in the surrounding area and even the foundation of a mill at the bridge over the creek along Demorestville's main street. At the time of the fire, the town was so burned out that most chose to move rather than rebuild. This town has gone from a booming metropolis to what is now only a little village.