I found these two abandoned houses in the City of Markham, Ontario on a cloudy January day. They were my first explorations of the year. The first house had leaves in the driveway and certainly looked vacant. I observed footprints in the snow that led to the front door, so I was hesitant about approaching. I made my way to the living room windows and peered inside. The living room was empty inside and so I made my way around the back where I found a door was open. There was little of interest inside as the house is neither…

This house sticks out among the surrounding properties. The front windows are covered with plywood and the hydro meter has been removed. Perhaps a develop has set their sights upon this property in the Toronto area.There’s a sun room in the back of the property looking onto Lake Ontario. The house is now demolished.

This was a horse farm that sold for $3,000,000 in 2014. The property had a residential home, outdoor swimming pool and stables. I’m surmising that a developer purchased it, given that it’s in some prime real estate territory.Heritage records indicate the original house was built circa 1835 and was the location of a Christian Church and graveyard. The typewritten notebook is dated July 1, 1957. I’ve often wondered if these pages were able to be copied or if someone painstakingly re-typed them. Back in my school days, the teacher would type a master copy onto a purple coloured sheet and…