In the early 20th century it was decided that a separate prison for women should be built in Kingston. Until this time female inmates were housed in a separate section of the men’s Kingston Penitentiary (in operation since June 1, 1835). What did women do in the early 20th century to be imprisoned?The answer may shock you. The Province of Ontario’s Female Refuges Act stated that “any parent or guardian may bring before a judge any female under the age of 21 years who proves unmanageable or incorrigible.” This meant that young women between the ages of 16 and 35…

Camp 30 is located in Bowmanville, Ontario. It’s the site of a former prisoner of war camp used during the Second World War. The prisoners were from Nazi Germany. This is the story of that POW camp – and some kittens. After the war, the property was returned to the boy’s school.Camp 30 has been caught in a tug of war between the Kaitlin Corporation who owns the property and would like to build a subdivision on the property, and the Jury Lands Foundation who is attempting to preserve the site. In 2013 the property made Heritage Canada’s top 10…

Abandoned youth detention centre in Goderich, Ontario…