JASON SETNYK
A longstanding chapter in local heritage education is coming to a close as Jim Brownell begins his final season leading the Lost Villages Historical Society’s bus tours. Sunday’s outing marked the first of three farewell tours guided by Brownell, a former MPP and history teacher who has spent decades preserving the memory of the communities submerged in 1958 for the St. Lawrence Seaway.
“The four-hour tour will take participants to the closest locations possible to the inundated Lost Villages and hamlets,” Brownell explained. “An overview of each community is given as the bus tours from the hamlet of Maple Grove in the east to the Lost Village of Aultsville in the west.”
Born in the now-submerged village of Moulinette, Brownell brings a personal lens to the tour, going beyond historical facts, and sharing human stories of displacement and resilience. He first served as president of the Lost Villages Historical Society in 1992, stepped back from the role during his time as an MPP from 2003 to 2011, and resumed those duties following his retirement from provincial politics.
“Moving the people and associated stories about lands lost to progress spark the most curiosity,” said Brownell. “This is certainly evident by the questions asked by participants. Much emotion is expressed when stories are related concerning the 18 cemeteries.”
The tours begin at the Lost Villages Museum in Ault Park, a collection of relocated heritage buildings and artifacts that anchor visitors in the lived experiences of over 6,500 displaced residents. From there, the bus travels east to west, tracing the path of the former communities.
“As the bus travels west, continuous commentary enriches the stories of the 6,500 people who were forced to relocate before the inundation of July 1, 1958,” Brownell noted. “Participants learn about the communities and construction projects at this first stop.”
Two more tours remain, on August 24 and September 14, with limited tickets still available. Brownell confirmed there will be no changes to the route or content of the final tour.
“There will absolutely be no change to the content or the route traveled,” he said. “While the route traveled has been modified over the years to take in more of the history of the 1st Concession of old Cornwall and Osnabruck, the history will unfold for participants just as it did many years ago.”
The decision to step away hasn’t been easy, but Brownell said the time has come.
“I wish I could go on forever, but health and mobility issues have gotten in the way of the Sunday tours,” he said. “These final tours will give me pause to reflect on the past tours and to remember the good times with the patrons who were so interested in the history of the Lost Villages.”
While no one has officially taken up the torch, Brownell hopes his recently published book, A Tour Through the Lands of the Lost Villages, will continue to guide future storytellers.
“I do know that if someone did step forward, they would have an instant tour guide with my book… No research required!” he said. “I intend to continue the ‘step-on’ tours organized by travel agencies to Eastern Ontario. In fact, I just finalized one such tour by a travel agency in Bowmanville, ON., in October.”
As Brownell steps back from guiding the tours, he leaves behind a legacy of storytelling that has kept the memory of the Lost Villages alive for generations-and with his book now in hand, that legacy has the potential to keep going.
