Ontario has an underwater ghost town that you can still visit

Ontario has countless lovely small towns to visit on a road trip from the city, but there's one that has a particularly unique history — and that you'll need more than just a car to visit.

Moulinette, once a thriving riverside community along Highway 2, is now an underwater ghost town with a haunting and yet fascinating history. It was said to be home to just over 300 residents before it was permanently flooded — purposely — in 1958 during the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

The history of Moulinette and Ontario's Lost Villages

The village dated back to the late 1700s, having been founded by United Empire Loyalists of the King's Royal Regiment that came up from New York. And it didn't take long for Moulinette to become a bustling little hub.

By 1840, approximately 100 people lived there, and the population was growing rapidly. The local economy was fueled by a number of businesses; among them, two wool mills that defined the area. But, an early flood from the Cornwall Canal wiped them out, perhaps foreshadowing the town's ultimate end some years later.

A shot of the grounds of the Lost Villages Museum which preserves remnants of the 11 villages that were purposely drowned to start the St. Lawrence Seaway project, including Moulinette. Photo from Lost Villages Museum. 

Despite the financial stress from the loss of the mills, Moulinette bounced back.

It added to its infrastructure and discovered new ways to generate income, eventually boasting multiple general stores, new saw and flour mills, popular hotels like the Lion and the Pea Green, a school, a cheese factory, barber shop and, of course, a tavern. Moulinette had quickly become a fully functional town. 

An image of Moulinette firefighters extinguishing a fire at the Pea Green Hotel that destroyed the popular landmark. Photo from The Lost Villages Museum.

By the 1900s, the population was steady at around 311, and the village was aligned with modern times. Soon, Moulinette developed a thriving tourism scene courtesy of up-and-coming motels, tourist homes, and hotels that welcomed visitors to the St. Lawrence.

But then came the St. Lawrence Seaway project, and everything changed.

It was a 1950s development that aimed to open the Great Lakes to ocean ships. To make it happen, entire communities along the St. Lawrence River — including Moulinette — were deliberately flooded.

These communities are now known as Ontario’s Lost Villages, and include Woodlands, Moulinette, Santa Cruz, Iroquois, Aultsville, Morrisburg, Dickinson’s Landing, Farran’s Point, Maple Grove, Mille Roches, and Sheek/Sheik Island.

Moulinette was completely deserted, destroyed and left for the water to swallow. Homes and buildings that couldn't be relocated were set on fire, turned into rubble, and plowed away. The town was swept clean and relocated by 1958.

Ontario Hydro could not relocate mansions and homes made out of brick. So, they were lit on fire and left to burn into rubble before sweeping the town clean. Photo from The Lost Villages Museum.

How you can still visit Moulinette

Although a majority of the town is now drowned and living underwater — including many homes, schools and local businesses — there are pieces of it that were preserved. Zina Hill’s Barbershop and the local Grand Trunk Railway station were shifted to the Lost Villages Museum and are part of its exhibits. 

Zina Hill stands in front of his barbershop before the demolition of his town. Visitors at the Lost Villages Museums can touch and feel Hill's barber tools, harmonica and other memorabilia. Photo by The Lost Villages Museum.

Visitors will see Hill's barber tools, his harmonica — which he used to entertain his clients — and his scissors, well-maintained and preserved at the museum to help get a feel for what the town used to be.

Zina Hill's barbershop was one of the two buildings that were preserved and moved to the Lost Villages Museum after Moulinette was drowned during the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Photo by The Lost Villages Museum. 

But there's an even more interesting way of seeing Moulinette up close and personal. It may sound like an eerie idea to some, but you can visit Moulinette underwater, too.

If you're into scuba diving, you can dive down to see what remains of the village for yourself. Thrill-seekers are known to explore what lies under the surface: everything from bricks and old locks to entire building foundations, still intact.

You can even spot Highway 2, the road along which the Moulinette community settled, and the Hoople's Bridge, with arch and all.

The Lost Villages Museum is located at 16361 Fran Laflamme Drive in Long Sault, Ontario, while the diving site for an underwater glimpse at the town is approximately two kilometers east of Long Sault.