45°34′43″N 79°37′57″W / 45.578567°N 79.632553°W Spence is a ghost town in the Canadian province of Ontario, at the crossroads of the Nipissing Colonization Road and the Ryerson Road (now Nelson Lake Road). The name of the village came from Spence Township, named for former Postmaster General, Robert Spence. Approximately 10 km north of Dufferin Bridge it was a small farming community.
By the 1870s, a general store was owned by Henry Clifford and a hotel operated by William Cameron. The post office was opened in 1872 by William Ashdown. From 1919 Effie Doherety took over the postal service until 1952 when it closed.
The Spence Inn (later named Simpson's Hotel) was operated by Levitt Simpson. It opened in 1878 and operated until 1911.
A second store was added, blacksmith shop, two sawmills, church and school. Hamilton Brown taught at the school, which was built in 1875, and also ran the Spence Inn. In its prime, the population was between 100 and 150 residents.
The community is now located in the municipality of Magnetawan, in the Parry Sound District.
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This page was last edited on 12 February 2024, at 00:11