S
spmarshall
Guest
I am going through the backlog of relatively recent pictures I have. (I was not feeling well enough to go to Doors Open today)
I visted several small Ontario towns recently by car, and have this collection to share:
I stopped in Woodstock first. A really pretty large town worth exploring. I posted a photo tour last year. I stopped this time to check out Blandford Square Mall, located on Highway 2 near the 401, the proposed Toyota plant site.
The all-too-common faded letters for Wal-Mart in an old Woolco. It left over two years ago for a power centre on Highway 59/Norwich Ave. closer to the centre of town. The A&P is now a Liquidation World, and the only other tenants are a government office, a cafe and a discount rug store.
Surprisingly, there are people who want to save this mall. Woodstock's downtown is one of the more vibrant - that and Sprawlmart killed Blandford Square's chances. The owner is also holding out while Oxford County is offering to buy it for $2 million to entice Toyota.
Then along Beachville Road (quite an interesting drive) to Ingersoll:
The decaying old CN station and the VIA hut built to replace it to serve the two daily round trips that serve it (two other trips do not stop here). There is no ticket agent in the small station.
Downtown Ingersoll:
Then up old Highway 19 to St. Marys.
The first stop here was St. Marys Junction, where the original Grand Trunk line from Toronto and Kitchener to Sarnia via Forest split with the newer spur to London. The orignal line to the west is gone and the station redundant.
Thomas Edison worked here as a GTR overnight station attendant (in charge of clearing trains through the station area by telegraph) where he invented a device that would send the regular telegraph signals required to prove that the attendant was alert, while Edison slept. While Edison was sleeping, a collision nearly took place, and he had to flee back to the US to avoid criminal charges.
The station on the old "spur" sees three VIA trains a day.
And across from the station, an old wooden water tower.
Looking downtown from the station:
Town Hall:
Carnegie Library (expanded to the rear):
The large gothic stone building is the Opera House:
And a maintained mill race:
Then a drive further north to the former CFB Clinton, now known as Vanastra. This used to be a RCAF radar base to support other former RCAF air bases in Centralia, Hagersville and elsewhere. It is now partially abandoned, with small businesses taking over some of the military warehouses and depots, and some of the military housing occupied as rentals and coops. It's worth the detour from Highway 4 or 8.
And going back, you pass through Seaforth, a beautiful town (posted rentely on Trillum Photography) and Stratford. A great day road trip idea.
I visted several small Ontario towns recently by car, and have this collection to share:
I stopped in Woodstock first. A really pretty large town worth exploring. I posted a photo tour last year. I stopped this time to check out Blandford Square Mall, located on Highway 2 near the 401, the proposed Toyota plant site.
![Blandford1.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/Blandford1.jpg)
The all-too-common faded letters for Wal-Mart in an old Woolco. It left over two years ago for a power centre on Highway 59/Norwich Ave. closer to the centre of town. The A&P is now a Liquidation World, and the only other tenants are a government office, a cafe and a discount rug store.
![Blandford2.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/Blandford2.jpg)
Surprisingly, there are people who want to save this mall. Woodstock's downtown is one of the more vibrant - that and Sprawlmart killed Blandford Square's chances. The owner is also holding out while Oxford County is offering to buy it for $2 million to entice Toyota.
Then along Beachville Road (quite an interesting drive) to Ingersoll:
![Ingersoll1.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/Ingersoll1.jpg)
![Ingersoll2.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/Ingersoll2.jpg)
The decaying old CN station and the VIA hut built to replace it to serve the two daily round trips that serve it (two other trips do not stop here). There is no ticket agent in the small station.
Downtown Ingersoll:
![Ingersoll3.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/Ingersoll3.jpg)
![Ingersoll4.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/Ingersoll4.jpg)
![Ingersoll5.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/Ingersoll5.jpg)
Then up old Highway 19 to St. Marys.
The first stop here was St. Marys Junction, where the original Grand Trunk line from Toronto and Kitchener to Sarnia via Forest split with the newer spur to London. The orignal line to the west is gone and the station redundant.
Thomas Edison worked here as a GTR overnight station attendant (in charge of clearing trains through the station area by telegraph) where he invented a device that would send the regular telegraph signals required to prove that the attendant was alert, while Edison slept. While Edison was sleeping, a collision nearly took place, and he had to flee back to the US to avoid criminal charges.
![StMarys1.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/StMarys1.jpg)
The station on the old "spur" sees three VIA trains a day.
![StMarys3.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/StMarys3.jpg)
And across from the station, an old wooden water tower.
![StMarys2.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/StMarys2.jpg)
Looking downtown from the station:
![StMarys4.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/StMarys4.jpg)
Town Hall:
![StMarys11.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/StMarys11.jpg)
Carnegie Library (expanded to the rear):
![StMarys12.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/StMarys12.jpg)
![StMarys8.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/StMarys8.jpg)
![StMarys5.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/StMarys5.jpg)
The large gothic stone building is the Opera House:
![StMarys9.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/StMarys9.jpg)
![StMarys6.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/StMarys6.jpg)
And a maintained mill race:
![StMarys7.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/StMarys7.jpg)
Then a drive further north to the former CFB Clinton, now known as Vanastra. This used to be a RCAF radar base to support other former RCAF air bases in Centralia, Hagersville and elsewhere. It is now partially abandoned, with small businesses taking over some of the military warehouses and depots, and some of the military housing occupied as rentals and coops. It's worth the detour from Highway 4 or 8.
![Vanastra1.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/Vanastra1.jpg)
![Vanastra2.jpg](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/spmarshall/WOntario/Vanastra2.jpg)
And going back, you pass through Seaforth, a beautiful town (posted rentely on Trillum Photography) and Stratford. A great day road trip idea.