Beyond the tourist beauties we are used to see when we visit the Gaspesie, it can be found hundreds of abandoned houses that show those old days when the region had not yet suffered the wrath of the rural exodus.
If the economy of the...
Built in 1923 by Helen Johnston, widow of William Watson Ogilvie, the mansion incorporates all the components required by the old bourgeoisie. It must be said that her husband William W. Ogilvie had made a fortune in the grain trade, and when he died in 1900 he left behind a nice nest egg of nearly a million and a half dollars to his wife and four children.
The Ogilvie family already owned a sumptuous residence in Montreal (the Rosemount house located on Mount Royal) but it was common practice at the time to own several country homes. So despite her advanced age, Helen Johnston built this luxury home north of Montreal in the woods, near a lake. Inside, there were half a dozen rooms each with a private bathroom, a large living room on the ground floor, and a small room for the maid right next to the kitchen. Outside, there were farm buildings (now destroyed) and much more.
With the death of the Ogilvie widow, the property was sold and eventually became part of a vast tourist complex comprising a private golf course, chalets and more.
Today, it's the whole complex who is in a sorry state. The golf course is closed, the company's web site has not been updated for two years, and the mansion is abandoned, left to itself. Although its structure is in excellent condition, mold has begun to appear everywhere. Fortunately, so far there hasn’t been any vandalism.
Beyond the tourist beauties we are used to see when we visit the Gaspesie, it can be found hundreds of abandoned houses that show those old days when the region had not yet suffered the wrath of the rural exodus.
If the economy of the...
Blue Bonnets racetrack saga is not about to end anytime soon. One of the main topic of Montreal 2013 election was the huge eco-friendly residential project that politicians wanted to implant on the former racetrack site. Despite the fact that the...
Abandoned for more modern constructions or left behind to adrift once the occupants died, abandoned houses populate the countryside. Hidden under vegetation who tries to conquer its old territory, sometimes the time prevents explorers from...
Closed in 1987, the former Canadian military base located in St-Adolphe-d'Howard began its operations in 1950. Its mission: monitor the airspace in southwestern Quebec and northeastern Ontario. True vestige of the Cold War between the Western...