Vanished Villages of Elgin

Located on the scenic north shore of Lake Erie, Elgin County was once home to over 40 vanished communities - filled with steam trains, ghosts, one-room schoolhouses, rowdy taverns, War of 1812 skirmishes and colourful characters, like Thomas Talbot.

Jennifer Grainger chronicles the rise and fall of Elgin's crossroad hamlets, lakeports and rail depots with contemporary photos, archival shots, and postmarks that remind us of the pioneers.

Jennifer Grainger has been researching vanished villages in Middlesex County for the past seven years, using old news articles, maps, county directories and interviewing modern residents of the villages. An archaeologist by training from the Universities of Toronto and London, England, she has also written chapters for Middlesex township histories. A travel agent by profession, researching and preserving southwestern Ontario’s past remains her passion. Jenny lives in London with her dog Sandy, several African violets and hundreds of books.