Growing up I always had an obsession with the past. As a child, stories of pioneers, visits to cemeteries and a chance glimpse at an abandoned farm while driving down the highway were all thrills. As I got older, an interest in genealogy developed and I found myself looking into my family’s history, both for stories of individuals and for pictures and records of old family homes.
A while ago, while driving with my fiance, we happened to pass an abandoned farm and stopped for a look. I was fascinated by the peeling wallpaper, the rusted pipes, and the way the home had decayed, trees now growing up through the floors and ceilings. We were hooked.
Since then, we’ve spent our spare evenings and weekends driving around the GTA looking for more abandoned properties to photograph. We are careful not to damage anything more than it already is, and follow the “leave only footprints” mentality used by those that explore any historic sites. It is my goal to document these relics and to, when possible connect them with local history. If you know of an abandoned property that we can safely explore, or if you know anything about the ones we’ve already added, please let me know.
-Emily
Rural Relics: Abandoned Properties of Ontario 