Окутанный водой: История затопленного города Олтсвилл

Aultsville is a ghost town in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of Ontario's Lost Villages, which were permanently flooded by the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1958. The town was founded as Charlesville in 1787 by United Empire Loyalists and reached its peak in 1880, when it had 400 residents. It was the second largest town flooded by the new Seaway in 1958, with a population of 312 at the time. Before it was flooded, the abandoned buildings were burned to study the effects of fire on houses. Families and businesses in Aultsville were moved to the new town of Ingleside before the seaway construction commenced. Some just north of Upper Canada Village where it now stands had three addresses in one week. Some walks, lanes, and yards can still be seen today. The historic train station, built in the 19th century by the Grand Trunk Railway, was moved to Upper Canada Village where it remains today. Aultsville was named after Samuel Ault, a local businessman who represented Stormont County in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and the House of Commons of Canada. The Holstein Friesian breed of cattle were first imported into Canada through Aultsville by a local resident. Michael P. Cook became the first importer of Holsteins into Ontario in 1881 when he imported two bulls and ten cows from Europe. This shipment of cattle founded the base of the Holstein breed here today, which is now the most popular dairy breed. The road which currently leads into Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary was once a part of Aultsville Road, the village's main street. The road leads directly into the river, where you can still see sidewalks and foundations remaining from the town when the water levels of the St. Lawrence are low.

Prior to being occupied by Europeans, Aultsville and the surrounding area was home to many Native American settlements. When the Loyalists arrived, the land was divided and distributed with little thought given to the Native populations. The Natives were forced out of the area early into the settlement's history.

Aultsville, Ontario, was first settled in the late 1700s by a small group of five disbanded soldiers of the King's Royal Regiment of New York; these men were Loyalists who likely acquired the land here via grants for their loyalty to the Crown. Upon its initial settlement, the Loyalists called the settlement Charlesville, the origin of this name is unknown. By the end of the 18th century, Aultsville had already established its own post office with the first post master listed as one John Bockus. The post office remained in operation until 1957, when it closed for the flooding of the Seaway.

By 1840, the population of Aultsville had risen to 120 individuals, and many more pioneer businesses and tradespeople were established in the area. The clay soil in the village allowed for brickyards and pottery works to be established. Many pioneer trades such as a blacksmith shop, shoemaker, carriage shop and tannery were also active in the village. Two more saw mills were also eventually erected in the village. The community was also home to an Oddfellows lodge, community hall and Masonic lodge. During the mid 19th century, a small ferry operated in Aultsville in the St. Lawrence River called the Aultsville Ferry. The ferry was a small, primitive wooden ferry which operated between Aultsville and Louisville Landing, New York during the summer months. Many disputes arose between the American and Canadian sides regarding the ferry, as it was in direct competition with the American ferry. Around 1860, Aultsville became home to its own school, referred to as the Aultsville Common School. This school served the elementary grades of the village. At some point closer to the 20th century, Aultsville established its own secondary school. This school is referred to in records as both Aultsville High School and Aultsville Continuation School. It is possible the school served as both at different periods; the difference between the two being that continuation schools served both elementary and secondary students. The secondary school and elementary school both operated until the 1950s, closing due to the flooding of the village. Aultsville High School had many sports teams including a hockey and baseball team, as well as a Cadet's Corps.

By the turn of the century, Aultsville had added three more general stores, three cheese factories, another garage, four service stations, and a bank to its list of businesses. A grist mill in Aultsville was built around 1929. The mill contained metal grinding plates which ran on an electric motor; the mill mostly ground the local farmers personal grain supplies. In later years, the grist mill was used as an egg grading office. The first major delay took place during the First World War in 1914 until 1918. The study of Boundary Waters for Navigation and Power was put aside as resources were mainly directed towards the allied war effort. It was not until 1939 when the Second World War started that the full benefits were realized of a larger seaway. Increased hydro needs as well as a recognition of the importance to national security put pressure on legislatures to get the project underway; however, a second major delay of the project happened in October 1942 (a year after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor) when President Roosevelt declared that the St. Lawrence project was to be halted immediately due to a shortage of men and metal. After World War II many negotiations and minor delays took place until the final proposals and developments in 1954. Furthermore, not until the Canadian government started the initial phases of planning and construction, that the United States finally participated in the joint expansion of this international project. It is noted that the Commission in Ontario made decisions for the location of new highways towns and parks without first approaching the local residents of Aultsville, or the other Lost Villages. According to the Lost Villages Historical Society, the residents of Aultsville knew the flooding was inevitable after decades of uncertainty when all of the trees in the community were cut down.

In 1958, before the flooding of the Seaway, six houses and two larger buildings were scheduled to be burned in the vacant village of Aultsville. This was an important study headed by National Research Council Canada's Division of Building Research to study the effects of controlled burning structures. Contributors to this project were the British Joint Fire Research Organization, the US Federal Civil Defense Authority, the Ontario Fire Marshal and staff, and lastly the Hydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario. The director was G. W. Shorter who was Head of Fire Section (for his division) as well Assistant Director N. B. Hutcheon. In the General Report, significant observances are made from the Smoke and Sound Measurements and the Temperature Measurements, to the Ventilation Rate Measurements and the Radiant Temperature of Openings. Other sections of the study also included Radiometer Measurements, Resistance Thermometer Measurements, a Gas Analysis, and to conclude, the Summary Report. The purpose of these created fires was to determine the survival of the occupants, spread by radiation, and ventilation rates; listed in the study as a, b, and c. The study was also used to validate evidence of time temperature curves – normally used for performing fire resistance tests. The section under Survival of Occupants writes about whether or not noise of a fire would be useful to people upstairs in a house before the time in which survival would become unattainable. Smoke detectors were not common until the 1960s, and were used primarily in museums, art galleries, and electronic equipment protection. Locally, the fires became known as the St. Lawrence Burns and were watched by spectators who once occupied the village. Aultsville's volunteer fire chief observed several of the burns, including that of his own home. According to George Hickey, who was a teacher at the local high school and considered somewhat of a local historian, not many of the residents were aware of the scheduled burns. For many, the burns were considered devastating to watch after already losing their homes to the Seaway. St. Paul's was consecrated by a Bishop Charles Hamilton on December 19, 1900. In 1925, the church was severely damaged by fire, but was rebuilt within a year. The church was demolished in 1958 in preparation for the flooding of the Seaway. St. Peter's church in the newly formed community of Ingleside was erected to replace it and a few other churches demolished at the time. The United church was called the Trinity United Church and was a Methodist church located within the village. Like the other churches, it was also demolished in the 1950s in preparation for the Seaway's construction. The United church, called Trinity United Church, had a cemetery located on its property simply referred to as the Old Burying Ground. The church was constructed in 1860 and was closed and demolished in 1957. In the early years of the settlement until the 1900s, it was common for people to bury their dead on their property. According to local residents, grave robbing was a common problem in the village, with one individual in particular being known for padding his horse's hooves in order to sneak around fresh graves at night. It was also common practice to bury the dead with tins or other items that would produce a sound when disturbed.

Aultsville's train station was first a Grand Trunk Railway Inc. station located along the Grand Trunk line. The first station located here was built around 1856, the same year the railway opened. The original station was made of wood, and quickly became outgrown by the village. Some records indicate the building was used as an outbuilding for the new station. The second Aultsville station, which still stands, was built between 1866 and 1889. This station is a square, red building of wood construction, built based on blueprints supplied by the railway for their "Standard No. 1" chain of stations; the blueprints were slightly altered to suit the community.