Andrew Hind – författare

A new, expanded edition detailing Niagara-on-the-Lake’s ghostly inhabitants.Long-dead British soldiers, grieving lovers, lingering spirits — Niagara-on-the-Lake’s long and colourful history is kept alive by ghosts of its past.Through historical investigation and eyewitness accounts, Andrew Hind and Maria Da Silva share over two dozen ghostly tales: a murdered British officer haunts the Olde Angel Inn, a ghostly widow retaliates against couples, a condemned ghost at the old courthouse pleads his innocence, and ghostly guests at the Prince of Wales Hotel have no desire to check out. Some have called Niagara on-the-Lake Canada’s most haunted town, and with so much of its built heritage preserved, the community clearly makes the perfect haunt for age-old spirits.

Explore the remnants of vanished villages across Ontario’s cottage country.Crumbling foundations lost in the forest, weathered buildings leaning wearily with age, cracked tombstones jutting from the ground — all serve as haunting reminders of once thriving villages that have since been abandoned. Each of these locales has a distinct story to tell, stories that until now were confined to fading memories and grainy photographs.From the northern shores of Georgian Bay to the eastern reaches of the Kawarthas, Ontario’s cottage country is littered with vanished villages, including settlementera farm communities, railway whistlestops, and logging hamlets. Within these pages, readers will venture into Ontario’s past to learn how these communities lived and died and to meet the people who invested their hopes and dreams in them. Dozens of photographs, many historical and never before published, bring these ghost towns back to life.Join Andrew Hind in exploring over a dozen villages across the districts of Parry Sound and Nipissing,Muskoka, and the Haliburton Highlands.

Before it was known as Ontario’s cottage country, Muskoka’s resorts made it one of Canada’s most popular vacation destinations.Try to imagine Muskoka without its iconic resorts: Windermere House, with its white towers looking out over Lake Rosseau; Deerhurst, with its tradition of warm hospitality dating back more than a century; or JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort & Spa, reaching new heights of elegance. You can’t do it. Muskoka’s resorts are so thoroughly woven into the tapestry of the region’s character that they are inseparable from it and are as quintessential as the Canadian Shield’s granite rock formations and crystalline lakes.What few people realize is these resorts represent a mere fraction of the summer hotels that existed in the area at one time. Today, resorts are a disappearing breed; most have long since vanished. At various points in history, there were well over a hundred resorts — large and small, opulent and rustic — active in Muskoka. All had their unique charm and character. Pack your bags and embark on a series of memorable vacations at some of Muskoka’s most captivating historic resorts with Andrew Hind, one of the area’s most engaging writers.

Ghost Towns of Muskoka explores the tragic history of a collection of communities from across Muskoka whose stars have long since faded. Today, these ghost towns are merely a shadow – or spectre – of what they once were. Some have disappeared entirely, having been swallowed by regenerating forests, while others have been reduced to foundations, forlorn buildings, and silent ruins. A few support a handful of inhabitants, but even these towns are wrapped in a ghostly shroud.But this book isnt only about communities that have died. Rather it is about communities that lived, vibrantly at that, if only for a brief time. Its about the people whose dreams for a better life these villages represented; the people who lived, loved, laboured, and ultimately died in these small wilderness settlements. And its about an era in history, those early heady days of Muskoka settlement when the forests were flooded with loggers and land-hungry settlers.

Since the 1880s, people have travelled to Muskoka in search of solace and relaxation, enjoying the comfortable confines and warm hospitality of resorts while at the same time reveling in the tranquil wilderness and refreshing lakes. Things haven’t really changed all that much over the past century. Vacationers might access Muskoka faster today, and upon arrival find the available luxuries much more impressive, but the allure remains the same as when the tourism industry first exploded on the Muskoka scene. This northern playground grew in popularity during the 20th century. Hollywood stars, business tycoons, and celebrities from all walks of life soaked up everything the area offered. This storied past of carefree summers and timeless hospitality is the focus of Muskoka Resorts. Twenty classic resorts are explored, some of which are thriving today, such as Windermere House and Deerhurst, while others such as Limberlost and Bigwin Inn are long gone, though fondly remembered.