Spence is a

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

in the

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

province of

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, at the crossroads of the Nipissing Colonization Road and the Ryerson Road (now Nelson Lake Road). The name of the village came from Spence Township, named for former Postmaster General, Robert Spence. Approximately 10 km north of Dufferin Bridge it was a small farming community. By the 1870s, a general store was owned by Henry Clifford and a hotel operated by William Cameron. The post office was opened in 1872 by William Ashdown. From 1919 Effie Doherety took over the postal service until 1952 when it closed. The Spence Inn (later named Simpson's Hotel) was operated by Levitt Simpson. It opened in 1878 and operated until 1911. A second store was added, blacksmith shop, two sawmills, church and school. Hamilton Brown taught at the school, which was built in 1875, and also ran the Spence Inn. In its prime, the population was between 100 and 150 residents. The community is now located in the municipality of

Magnetawan Magnetawan is a township in the Almaguin Highlands region of the Parry Sound District in the Canadian province of Ontario. The Township of Magnetawan was formed in 1998 through the amalgamation of the former Township of Chapman and the former V ...

, in the

Parry Sound District Parry Sound District is a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its boundaries are District of Muskoka to the south, the Sudbury District to the north-northwest, the French River and Lake Nipissing in the north, Nipissing Distri ...

External links

Ontario Ghost Towns - Spence
Ghost towns in Northern Ontario Communities in Parry Sound District {{Canada-ghost-town-stub