I recently returned to the local Urban Exploration attraction 'Edgar Adult Occupation Centre' (a.k.a. Base Edgar), after more than a year away.This place seemed even more mysterious, interesting and entertaining than it did last trip.
First, a short bit of history:
Built as a radar station for the DND in 1952, as part of the Pine Tree Line, this base closed in 1964. Approximately 170 enlisted served here. With thier families living in the Private Married Quarters (PMQ's) on site, the total population (at it's hieght) equaled approximately 350 people.
This massive site had offices, maintenance yards, a school, stores, mess halls, and a recreation centre which housed a movie theatre, swimming pool, and a bowling alley.
[ For more history, see http://www.pinetreeline.org/ - - a site previously maintained by the recently deceased Ren L'Ecuyer and now run my his wife Margret ]
The base was sold to the Province of Ontario in 1964 and operated as the Edgar Regional Centre or Adult Occupational Centre under the Ministry of Community and Social Services. The Ministry maintained the site for the mentally hanicapped until it closed under Mike Harris' Progressive Conservative regime in 1996.
Back to the present day, the centre sits sadly abandoned. Unfortunately, any prospective buyer will be accutely aware of the rapidly deteriorating infrastructure.
Although abandoned, it still is witness to some limited use by Provincial and Municipal SWAT Team tactical training. UrbEx Barrie made a number of interesting discoveries which include (but are not limited to), ammunition cassings, smoke grenades, well ventiliated target posters and city bus that looked like Swiss Cheese. The fact that almost every door lock was blown out in several buildings (very obviously tactical entry explosives), it shows that a lot of training was conducted here.The last exploration took in only a fraction of the buildings and UrbEx Barrie hopes to return soon.
24 comments:
It is also used by the military. I slept in one of the crevasses in the gym floor underneath a groundsheet. when i got up in the morning people said it looked like i came out of the ground. night patrols came back reporting creepy voices and phenomena. but that is to be expected with a few regiments worth of troublemaking soldiers.
I have a question concerning Edgar. I am interested in exploring the area in detail, yet I don't exactly know where it is. I live north of Barrie and hope it could be; potentially, accessible by bike. Are there any directions towards Edgar or is there some confidentiality involved? (Great pictures anyways, it looks very interesting.)
Our apologies Mr. Anonymous, but we are not prepared to discuss or post the exact location of any site or P.O.E to a site as this may attract a more sinister element such as @$$hat vandals. A good urban explorer should always be up for a challenge. The best of luck.
Thank you for replying, I've been biking every day in random directions to try and find a small clue as to the whereabouts of Edgar. No luck yet, but my hopes are high. Maybe I'll get lucky.
MODERATED COMMENT by Anonymous:
I was at Edgar on XXXXXX, XXXXXXXXX XX at around XX am. I frequent the area finding new things each time. This time though, there was a convoy of 14 military trucks that came in and drove up to the warehouse beside the brokendown bus. Any ideas? The soldiers seemed to be unloading something from the trucks.
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Mr. Anonymous: Looks like another DND 'urban warfare' exercise underway!
I posted up there, about not being able to find Edgar; and I finally did, on a satellite map. I'm incredibly excited about getting there, although an hour and a half bike away. This is technically my first UE. I've kinda studied basics, and I'm going to head out on the weekend. Maybe I'm over-hyping this but it feels like this could be a major event in my life. Thank you for making this blog, and taking those photos.
Good Luck Mr. Anonymous!
Remember - Play safe, Take Only Photos, Leave only Footprints.
Mr. Anonymous comment (sorry - edited to protect everyone).
me and 2 buddies went there XXXXXX in november, at around x:xx pm pitch black, we enterd from the forest hill near the engineers garages, as we approached the building we started to hear NOISES, not normal, like cows with a grunt of a wolf at the end, almost sounded like (a mentally challened male yelling) we explored further in noticing very ghostly like activities, we looked thru some broken windows and saw tactical drawings. we went a b it further and stood at the top of a hill with the baseball diamond below us, THE VOICES GOT LOUDER, then i noticed high up in the woods lights about 3 to 4 roaming thru the trees WE RAN, thru the woods ourselves for our lives, we were chased and surrounded by vehicles and personel, once we got back to the road out of breath the lights shut off Dissapeard, and we got in the car drove away never to go back again,... THE ABANDONE CITY IS HAUNTED, holds many mysteries and dead souls.......... creepy
Um, what the hell? The abandoned city is haunted? Maybe you're looking for some ghost hunting forums/blogs... not UE....
Everybody please play nice.
Each individual takes away what they want from the hobby.
For me, I simply phase out and step back into time. For others, its simply the thrill of beign where you are not supposed to be.
As for hauntings, only one staff sergeant died here (in the infirmary) due to a heart attack.
In reference to the 'haunting' of Edgar. My friend and I are sorry to have scared you. Right now we are sadly laughing at your expense. We were in the buildings, wearing headlights, and carrying flashlights. BTW: we both wore camo, so would have looked like dark shapes with no real outline and red or white lights.
We did hear someone else onsite and did follow the sounds of the persons right down into the maintenance row area.
I have personally been through every building onsite. It is just getting sad as to the decay and destruction of the site. There are still quite a few vandals coming onsite it seems. The training does its share of destruction as well.
Anonymous said...
"I have personally been through every building onsite."
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I need to hook up with you - send me an eMail - I've been to almost every building except the Church and the School.
I case you didn't know, 2 of Canada's Worst Driver series were filmed there. One was done in the Summer of 2007. I was there delivering equipment to the production staff. And on another day a whole regiment of OPP were decending on the site in addition to the TV production people. It was a hopping place that summer.
I have lived in Edgar when it was the Adult Occupational Centre from
1983 - 1987. It saddens me to see the buildings in their current shape.
it's going to be revitalized shortly. The first green community of it's size and design in Canada
The site is going to be revitalized shortly. The first green community of it's size and design in Canada.
I also have been in every single building and almost all of the 77 houses, and get paid to that every weekend.
I just visited the site not more than an hour ago, there were 3 vehicles parked at the gate and upon further investigation from the road there is what seems to be a excavator demolishing buildings up on the hill. Me and my girlfriend plan to make a trip there this weekend. I assume we will have to be sneaky. Is there regular security, or is it a "self serve" walk around. We plan on only taking photos and memories with us.
i just got back from edgar , i have never been more scared in my life ! i went inside the old school and the desks were all pushed up against the wall and we could all hear voices , we ran and got chased out by security . they followed us for hours untill we finally lost them never again!
how do i follow u
On April 3, 2010 at approx. 10PM we went to Edgar to the abandonded Adult Occupation Centre. When we got there at the main gate, the chain was down and there was a van parked by the security building. We drove past the building right onto the site and continued to drive around on the streets, checking out the houses and such. It was a dark, very cold and windy night. We went through all the streets adn no where did we see anyone or anything. There was no excavator to be seen and no building seem to have been demolished recently or ever.
I would love to have gotten out of my vehicle to check out some of the houses or the church or such, but we, being my kids, my sister and I were afraid to get caught by security, as one of my children had just recently (within a few days prior) been chased away with some friends by the security guard.
Anyways, as we had decided that maybe we should leave and were driving towards the front gate, we saw the security guard parked beside the security building and standing outside his vehicle.
I proceeded down the hill towards the gate and without stopping to talk to him, drove past him and onto the road back towards the main road. As soon as I turned onto the first right side road, I tramped on the gas and shot like a bat out of hell. Looking in my rearview mirror, I see the security vehicle catching up to me and quickly. I continued to speed up and now we are all really scared. He must have flashed me about 10 times before I finally decided I should pull over, in case he decided to call the cops. With my heart in my throat and it beating so damn hard and fast, I rolled down my window.
He came up to my window and asked if we had seen the DO NOT TRESPASS sign. I said NO. I only saw the Adult Occuaption Centre sign. He told me he worked for security and was doing his perimeter rounds and then came back and noticed our headlights as we had been turning around up by the maintenance sheds. He also told me he had taken down my licence plate # and that if I ever came back there, I would be charged for trespassing. My sister spoke up then and told him we had followed another car onto the site (not true) but he asked if they were still there, she said we didn't know and he said good night to us and left. I tried rolling my window up quickly because all of us were laughing so hard, as he walked away because of the crest fallen look upon his face, that he would have to go chase someone else down now too. All in all it was a good night and an Easter we'll never forget. My kids have asked if we could make it a tradition to go there and heck things out on holidays as a family...LOL. I would love to be able to go and take some pics for historical reasons during daylight hours. I think the place looked creepy at night but during the day I am sure it is still beautiful or there are still things to be held as beautiful.
I am looking for information from anyone who has been to RCAF Station Edgarand would be able to identify what the different buildings were used for during its time as the Former Edgar Adult Education Centre. I am putting together a research paper for some former RCAF Station staff that are interested in what beacame of the station.
I worked at the Centre from 1975 to it's closing in 1998. I also lived in a staff house from 1985 to 1991. We visited the centre last year because we were having a staff reunion and we wanted to retrieve a time capsule that is buried there. We received special permission to enter and after a couple of hours digging where we thought the capsule was we came up empty handed. We took a drive around afterwards and were dismayed at the deterioration of all the buildings that once were so well maintained. It has recently been sold to Miya consulting which an international Hi-Tech Consulting company.
Miya is focused on creating opportunities and developing
partnerships for Israeli companies, all over the world.
It will be interesting to see what becomes of this beatiful location.
WOW Jimtemp40 and the last Anonymous. I also lived there the same time you guys did, considering there were only 12 staff houses I am guessing that we knew each other. I also worked in landscaping there for 3 summers that same time that i lived there. We should figure out some way to connect.
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