The way the small settlement of Balaclava is portrayed in Ron Brown's Ghost Town Heritage of Ontario, you'd think it was going to be some overly romanticized settlement long abandoned like you'd find in the American west or old mining communities in the mountains and high arctic. While to my surprise as I rolled in after a good four hours or so on the road, I was met with a wintry silence and the sweet smell of wood smoke. Wait...wood smoke?

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Yep, despite being officially a ghost town there are people who still live in the former lumber town located pretty much in the middle of nowhere, the two major towns both being just over an hour away. Founded in 1859 and named for the Battle of Balaklava (part of the Siege of Sevastopol 1854-55 during the Crimean War), the town's sawmill was one of thousands that sprung up through Upper Canada in the mid-19th century. The town quickly grew into a vibrant community with stores, hotels, homes, and a grist mill.

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Being in the middle of nowhere you might think that nothing interesting ever happened in this tiny settlement. It was however the subject of one of the first pollution related lawsuits in 1911 and the site of the oldest operating water powered saw mill in the province of Ontario. When the mill shut down in 1959, the town followed.

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The store, blacksmith, and mill are all considered historic properties as good examples of 19th century industry, but being in the sticks there isn't anything in the way of preservation and all have been left to rot, under the watchful eyes of the few residents of the once bustling town.

Sony a6000 - Sony E PZ 16-50mm 1:3.5-5.6 OSS

Very cool place! Unfortunate that the remaining pieces of the old town are under a watchful eye, but the exteriors are impressive alone. Very interesting to hear about towns such as these in Ontario.

What an awesome Town. #5 really is an Outstanding shot. Love how it looks as it slowly decays at the waters edge.

Very nice set. Looks like you had a good trip!

Nice documenting, Axle!

Nice shots! I like #3 in particular - I'm a sucker for B&W shots of old barns and shit.

Nice set, Axle! I've stopped here a few times, and the nearby neighbours and sketchy buildings have limited my explorations to the outside as well. It's probably for the best, given the sketchy condition of that mill!

Thank you all for the kind words! It was a pretty surreal spot!

Here are some more photos.

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And spot metering photos with a lot of snow around not a good idea, total loss of highlight details! Should've under exposed by two stops instead of just one, or used a different meter.

Hasselblad 500c - Carl Zeiss Distagon 50mm 1:4 - Rollei RPX 25 @ ASA-25 - Blazinal (1+50) 11:00 @ 20C

I miss the snow Thank you for letting me relive winter :p Awesome set!

Great shots and excellent narrative. Thanks for sharing!