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Exploring Ruthven Park & the Town of Indiana

ONTARIO, CANADA-- In the mid 19th century, the desolate area of Haldimand County was known as the Town of Indiana.

ONTARIO, CANADA-- In the mid 19th century, a desolate area of Haldimand County was known as the Town of Indiana.

Just to the south of the town was a mansion that still exists today. The Thompson mansion is named after David Thompson. He moved there in the 1830s on a mission to invest in the area.

Five generations of Thompsons lived here until 1993, at which point it became a historic site for the public.

Just to the north of the mansion are some faded reminders of what the Town of Indiana used to be: the Indiana cemetery, where former townspeople are buried, and a modest white house, which was built in the 1830's.

Although the Grand River put Indiana on the map, changing technology erased it from the map around the year 1905.

"The Town of Indiana, and why it's now called a ghost town, is that the Grand River Navigation Company went bankrupt in 1861. And for many reasons, the town died. And one of the main reasons was the railway bypassed the town," says Marilynn Havelka a historian at Ruthven Park.

There are also some interesting stories of the past here that involve some ghosts.

One is the spirit of Bessie Thompson, an 11-year-old girl who used to sit on the stairwell in the 19th century before she died a tragic death.

Daniel Cumerlato, who runs the ghost walk tours, said Bessie makes herself known in unusual ways-- but almost always to children. It's as though she's looking for someone to play with, he said.

Beyond the ghosts, there are a lot of historical treasures at Ruthven Park and the abandoned Town of Indiana.

Check out Ruthven Park's website here.

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