Ball's Falls, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Ball's Falls, Ontario
, also known as Balls Mills, Louthe Mills and Glen Elgin, is a historical ghost town
in the Niagara region which dates back to the early 19th century It is now preserved as a conservation area
operated by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.
, Jacob and his family were forced from their home and potash works in New York . In 1783, the Ball family was granted land in Niagara on account of their allegiance to the British Crown. Jacob’s sons, John and George, received 1200 acres of land in Niagara in 1807. On this land stood two waterfalls, which are trademarks of the grounds today. The Ball brothers wasted no time starting business; they built a grist mill, a saw mill and a woolen mill at the falls. The town began flourishing with business and soon a blacksmith, tailor, weaver and butcher lived on the land. By 1852 the population of the town, then Glen Elgin, grew to 19 locals . In the late 1850’s, the Great Western Railway
was created and many industries moved away from Glen Elgin and chose to reside closer to the railway. Glen Elgin, the settlement that once was, became a historical ghost town. In 1962 Manly Ball sold the land to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Area and the town which is currently called Balls Falls is now a historical tourist attraction.
and north of Lake Erie
. There are two actual waterfalls in the area, the upper falls which are 35 feet high, and the lower falls which are 90 feet high . The Twenty Mile Creek
flows over both falls. The falls can be viewed by visitors from both above and below. The gorge has also become an area of scientific interest . The lower falls pass over Irondequoit limestone
, a firm layer over several weaker sandstone layers. The rock of the upper falls is actually formed of the same unit which forms the crest of the world famous Niagara Falls
, Lockport Dolostone.
, Wild Geranium, Virginia Bluebells, Canada Yew, Arrowhead
, Wild Leak, Asparagus
, Wild Yam
, Red Mulberry
, Wild Columbine
, Canada Anemone, Chokecherry
, Virginian Creeper and St. John’s Wort. Ball’s Falls is made up of hardwoods mixed with coniferous trees, lying within an area known as the deciduous forest zone. Tree species that one can locate in Ball’s Falls range from Eastern Cotton Wood, Butternut
, Black Walnut
, Shagbark, Hickory
, White Oak
, Tulip Tree and Slippery Elm
. Ball’s Falls provides a creek of warm water entitled Twenty Mile Creek, for the variety of fish residing in it. The species of fish that can be spotted in this creek include the Largemouth Bass
, Yellow Perch
, Grass Pickerel, Rock Bass
, Green Sunfish
, Creek Chub and Pumpkinseed
. A variety of birds and ducks can also be found on the terrain of the Ball’s Falls area. Species of birds and waterfowl found in Ball’s Falls include the Eastern Bluebird
, Indigo Bunting
, House Sparrows, Cardinals, Mallards, Killdeer
and many more. Among the list of rare species located in Ball’s Falls are three tree species including Sycamore
, Sassafras
and Pignut Hickory
. The ecology of Ball’s Falls is diverse and has been well preserved and maintained by the Ball’s Falls conservation staff.
, as it remains to this day . The park boasts the addition of the Centre for Conservation: a facility that allows all members of the family to learn of the area’s rich history and heritage. The building, designed to have a limited impact of the surrounding environment, features permanent and temporary galleries, exhibits and interactive displays that focus on the nature and culture involved with the area's rich history.
Still standing within the park includes the original Ball family home, an operating flourmill, a lime kiln, a church, a blacksmith shop, as well as a carriage shed . The church, which has been beautifully restored, can accommodate up to 110 people and is perfect for any special event. Available for rent are both the Centre for Conservation and the Ball’s Falls Historical Church.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, also known as Balls Mills, Louthe Mills and Glen Elgin, is a historical ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in the Niagara region which dates back to the early 19th century It is now preserved as a conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
operated by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.
History
The town was established as early as the 19th century by Jacob Ball, a United Empire Loyalist. After the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, Jacob and his family were forced from their home and potash works in New York . In 1783, the Ball family was granted land in Niagara on account of their allegiance to the British Crown. Jacob’s sons, John and George, received 1200 acres of land in Niagara in 1807. On this land stood two waterfalls, which are trademarks of the grounds today. The Ball brothers wasted no time starting business; they built a grist mill, a saw mill and a woolen mill at the falls. The town began flourishing with business and soon a blacksmith, tailor, weaver and butcher lived on the land. By 1852 the population of the town, then Glen Elgin, grew to 19 locals . In the late 1850’s, the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
was created and many industries moved away from Glen Elgin and chose to reside closer to the railway. Glen Elgin, the settlement that once was, became a historical ghost town. In 1962 Manly Ball sold the land to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Area and the town which is currently called Balls Falls is now a historical tourist attraction.
Myths and Legends
Although Ball's Falls is considered a ghost town, many say that this is only because everyone who once lived and worked there abandoned the small town. However, Ball's Fall's is known for having ghost sitings and has a vast history of the paranormal. Given that this town has had rumours of the paranormal, nothing has yet been proven or researched enough in order to tell what exactly happens or why these rumours have come about without any evidence to back them up. Ball's Falls is currently one of the many abandoned towns in Ontario since the early 1800's.Geography
Located in the Niagara region of Ontario, Ball’s Falls currently occupies around 200 of the 1200 acres bought by the Ball brothers. It has a mild climate as a result of its location, which is south of Lake OntarioLake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
and north of Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
. There are two actual waterfalls in the area, the upper falls which are 35 feet high, and the lower falls which are 90 feet high . The Twenty Mile Creek
Twenty Mile Creek
The Twenty Mile Creek is a minor waterway, located in the Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada. It receives its name because the mouth of the Twenty Mile Creek is twenty miles west of the mouth of the Niagara River...
flows over both falls. The falls can be viewed by visitors from both above and below. The gorge has also become an area of scientific interest . The lower falls pass over Irondequoit limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, a firm layer over several weaker sandstone layers. The rock of the upper falls is actually formed of the same unit which forms the crest of the world famous Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
, Lockport Dolostone.
Conservation
Balls Falls contains thousands of unique plant, tree and animal species throughout the conservation area. The list of plant species reaches a total of 471 and includes plants such as Wild Sarsaparilla, Green and White Trilliums, Wild GingerWild ginger
Wild ginger may refer to any of a variety of plants, often with a similar appearance, odour or taste to cultivated ginger. Species involved include:*Any of the Alpinia species, especially A. caerulea....
, Wild Geranium, Virginia Bluebells, Canada Yew, Arrowhead
Arrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
, Wild Leak, Asparagus
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis is a spring vegetable, a flowering perennialplant species in the genus Asparagus. It was once classified in the lily family, like its Allium cousins, onions and garlic, but the Liliaceae have been split and the onion-like plants are now in the family Amaryllidaceae and...
, Wild Yam
Wild yam
Dioscorea villosa is a species of a twining tuberous vine that is native to and found growing wild in North America. Its fame is based on its steroid-like saponins which can be chemically converted to progesterone ; and cortisone....
, Red Mulberry
Red Mulberry
Morus rubra, commonly known as the Red Mulberry, is a species of mulberry native to eastern North America, from Ontario and Vermont south to southern Florida and west to southeast South Dakota and central Texas...
, Wild Columbine
Wild Columbine
Aquilegia canadensis is a herbaceous perennial native to woodland and rocky slopes in eastern North America, prized for its red and yellow flowers. It readily hybridizes with other species in the genus.-Description:Height is...
, Canada Anemone, Chokecherry
Chokecherry
Prunus virginiana, commonly called chokecherry, bitter-berry, or Virginia bird cherry, is a species of bird cherry native to North America, where it is found almost throughout the continent except for the Deep South and the far north.-Growth:It is a suckering shrub or small tree growing to 5 m tall...
, Virginian Creeper and St. John’s Wort. Ball’s Falls is made up of hardwoods mixed with coniferous trees, lying within an area known as the deciduous forest zone. Tree species that one can locate in Ball’s Falls range from Eastern Cotton Wood, Butternut
Butternut
Butternut may refer to:*Butternut tree, Juglans cinerea, or its fruit*Butternut squash, an edible winter squash.*Butternut, a shade of yellow similar to khaki and the color of the butternut squash...
, Black Walnut
Black Walnut
Juglans nigra, the Eastern Black walnut, is a species of flowering tree in the hickory family, Juglandaceae, that is native to eastern North America. It grows mostly in riparian zones, from southern Ontario, west to southeast South Dakota, south to Georgia, northern Florida and southwest to central...
, Shagbark, Hickory
Hickory
Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as hickory, derived from the Powhatan language of Virginia. The genus includes 17–19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaves and big nuts...
, White Oak
White Oak
White Oak may refer to:* Quercus alba, a species commonly known as the White Oak* any of various trees from the botanical section Quercus within the list of Quercus species* a 1921 silent western written/produced by and starring William S...
, Tulip Tree and Slippery Elm
Slippery Elm
Ulmus rubra, the Slippery Elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America...
. Ball’s Falls provides a creek of warm water entitled Twenty Mile Creek, for the variety of fish residing in it. The species of fish that can be spotted in this creek include the Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, Yellow Perch
Yellow perch
The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
, Grass Pickerel, Rock Bass
Rock bass
The rock bass , also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, or red eye is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass but are usually quite a bit smaller...
, Green Sunfish
Green sunfish
The green sunfish is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. A panfish popular with anglers, the green sunfish is also kept as an aquarium fish by hobbyists. They are usually caught by accident, while fishing for other game fish...
, Creek Chub and Pumpkinseed
Pumpkinseed
The pumpkinseed sunfish is a freshwater fish of the sunfish family of order Perciformes. It is also referred to as "pond perch", "common sunfish", "punkys", and "sunny".-Range and distribution:...
. A variety of birds and ducks can also be found on the terrain of the Ball’s Falls area. Species of birds and waterfowl found in Ball’s Falls include the Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Bluebird
The Eastern Bluebird, Sialia sialis, is a small thrush found in open woodlands, farmlands and orchards, and most recently can be spotted in suburban areas. It is the state bird of Missouri and New York....
, Indigo Bunting
Indigo Bunting
The Indigo Bunting, Passerina cyanea, is a small seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. It is migratory, ranging from southern Canada to northern Florida during the breeding season, and from southern Florida to northern South America during the winter. It often migrates by night, using the...
, House Sparrows, Cardinals, Mallards, Killdeer
Killdeer
The Killdeer is a medium-sized plover.Adults have a brown back and wings, a white belly, and a white breast with two black bands. The rump is tawny orange. The face and cap are brown with a white forehead. They have an orange-red eyering...
and many more. Among the list of rare species located in Ball’s Falls are three tree species including Sycamore
Sycamore
Sycamore is a name which is applied at various times and places to three very different types of trees, but with somewhat similar leaf forms....
, Sassafras
Sassafras
Sassafras is a genus of three extant and one extinct species of deciduous trees in the family Lauraceae, native to eastern North America and eastern Asia.-Overview:...
and Pignut Hickory
Pignut Hickory
Carya glabra, the Pignut hickory, is a common but not abundant species in the oak-hickory forest association in the Eastern United States and Canada. Other common names are pignut, sweet pignut, coast pignut hickory, smoothbark hickory, swamp hickory, and broom hickory...
. The ecology of Ball’s Falls is diverse and has been well preserved and maintained by the Ball’s Falls conservation staff.
Today
After the purchase of Ball’s Falls by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority in 1962, the area became a provincial parkProvincial park
A provincial park is a park under the management of a provincial or territorial government in Canada.While provincial parks are not the same as national parks, their workings are very similar...
, as it remains to this day . The park boasts the addition of the Centre for Conservation: a facility that allows all members of the family to learn of the area’s rich history and heritage. The building, designed to have a limited impact of the surrounding environment, features permanent and temporary galleries, exhibits and interactive displays that focus on the nature and culture involved with the area's rich history.
Still standing within the park includes the original Ball family home, an operating flourmill, a lime kiln, a church, a blacksmith shop, as well as a carriage shed . The church, which has been beautifully restored, can accommodate up to 110 people and is perfect for any special event. Available for rent are both the Centre for Conservation and the Ball’s Falls Historical Church.