12 Feb
2009
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22 Comments

The Ghost Town of Swords, Ontario (Muskoka)

This is the general store and former post office in the ghost town of Swords, Ontario located in the district of Muskoka. It is abandoned uninhabited now and has been for quite a while.  In 1894 a lumber company was established here and the town was called Maple Station with trains passing through up to 20 times per day. Later the towns name was changed to avoid confusion with another Maple Station. The Sword family operated the general store until 1930. The lumber ran out, the train station closed in 1946 and the post office shut down in 1966 with most residents moving away.

NOTE: Although many of these types of properties are abandoned or unoccupied please remember they are still private property. Please respect the rights of these owners and do not go crawling through them without obtaining prior permission.  (Swords photos taken from the roadside)

Ontario Abandoned Places

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In: historic muskoka, in and around muskoka ontario, tripin around towns

22 Responses
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  1. guild-rez says:

    Just found your website.
    Wonderful pictures from a beautiful area in Ontario. We love to visit the Muskoga’s quite often. Always a treat!!
    Great pictures!
    Cheers from Guildwood (Toronto).

  2. Heather says:

    Great photos Ed…I love to look at old architecture…this building must have been a beauty in its day!

    Cheers

  3. Wow! Huge shots! Architecture is an interesting photo topic.

  4. With the depth of the snow, I never thought to return to the scene of the painting in winter. Nice shots. I love that place…..

  5. Swords says:

    great site… tks for your insight..

  6. lucas says:

    i want to know more about visiting a gost town,ware, can i just walk in or are they cut off to genreal public

  7. Muskoka says:

    Lucas – they are ghost towns which means they are abandoned. Some may be on private property and if they do not want you there I expect there would be signs. Watch out for the ghosts though …

  8. Sandy Wheeler says:

    I have purchased the property to the left of the store, I was up there this weekend and it is now up for private sale. I do not know the number but will ge it next time i go up there, if you want to contact me via email. And no you can not walk through the house at any time. Although it would be a plessure if ever given the chance.

  9. nadine says:

    i live in the house next to that haunted house :))

  10. Clayton says:

    Hi there,
    Swords is actually not in Muskoka District, but rather Parry Sound District. I have been to ost ghost towns but still havent gotten to Swords yet..Great pics..

  11. Donna says:

    “they are ghost towns which means they are abandoned. Some may be on private property and if they do not want you there I expect there would be signs. ”

    Old buildings are primarily private property and it should be assumed that you need the permission of the owner to visit the property. The Swords General Store is private property and is regularly visited by the family that owns it. It is uninhabited in the same way that a seasonal residence is uninhabited.

  12. Clay says:

    Hi there, I finally got to Swords this summer..Can u add this link to your page on ghost towns. Its called “Ontario’s Ghost Towns and Abandoned Places” at http://www.ontarioabandonedplaces.com..Best resource online with tonnes of photos..

  13. Sali says:

    It’s wonderful to see these amazing shots of my grandparents house and store. Thank you!

  14. Russell says:

    I believe this building in Swords was called Lawson’s General Store years ago

  15. Anonymous says:

    Hi, I criss-cross Ontario doing videos on abandoned towns. The old Nipissing road is special. This july, I need Guides to show me Rock Hill (Sprucedale) & Embe-
    rson (Huntsville). Ron Brown’s books are pretty helpful as well as Ghost Towns of
    Muskoka. Yvan C. & Mike L. have been invaluable. The more I travel, the more I learn. There is so much we don’t know. They should do something tourism related, concerning the old Nipissing Road. There’s several logging & mining camps which didn’t even qualify as abandoned towns. Renfrew & Huntsville are take-off points for me. Parry Sound & Algonquin Park have more history than we are made aware of. Oh yes, how can I forget my ex-Sudbury region, rich in rustic villages. Ron Brown pushes the Balls Falls tourism places I wish we had more of. Nicholson, (Chapleau) came close to being featured, but the MNR didn’t react fast enough, before the village was destroyed. Tionaga (Foleyet)
    is another place that could have been showcased. The lack of privacy is often to
    blame when access to these properties is restricted. Take care & happy exploring! I hope to hear from a couple of Guides.

  16. Michael Horesky says:

    My hobby is visiting ghost towns all over Ontario-have gone up and down the Old Nippising Road several times-great area to explore before the sites disappear

  17. Jennifer Warman says:

    Another link for abandoned places is https://www.abandonedplacescanada.com

  18. Sharon Varty says:

    Came across a story about ghost towns in Ontario. Very interested in
    Swords as I am a descendant of a Sword family who lived in the area
    I believe. Need to find more information.

  19. jjj says:

    no comment. would like to be on your mailing list

  20. no name please says:

    Back in the 1960s, I was one of those summer camp kids
    on Maple Lake, to whom the grandmother probably sold
    pop and candy bars. We’d hike out of the camp gate on
    sunny days, down the Swords-Tally Ho road with our counselors, singing. It always felt like a treat.

  21. Tim Grawey says:

    I am also a descendant of Swords family who immigrated to Niagara area in the 1850’s or 1860’s and wonder if those who settled in Swords (now ghostown) are related. I am especially looking for a James Swords.

  22. Ed Boutilier says:

    Hi Tim, hopefully someone on here will be able to help you. best regards Ed

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