Canada's abandoned prisons are among the most architecturally powerful and most historically charged buildings in the country — federal penitentiaries built from the 1830s onward whose limestone cell blocks, solitary confinement units and execution yards tell the story of 180 years of Canadian criminal justice. Kingston Penitentiary held inmates for 178 continuous years. Burwash Industrial Farm spread across 10,000 acres of Northern Ontario Shield. Here are the 5 best abandoned prisons in Canada, selected from our Abandoned Places Map Canada — 2,500+ GPS locations across Canada.
1. Kingston Penitentiary – Kingston, Ontario — Opened 1835, Canada's Most Notorious Federal Prison, 178 Years of Operation, Site of the 1971 Riot, Guided Tours Available (Known Location)
Kingston Penitentiary opened in 1835 — one of the oldest continuously operating prisons in North America — and held some of Canada's most notorious criminals for 178 years before closing in 2013. The massive limestone fortification, solitary confinement cells, the 1971 riot-damaged interiors and the Lake Ontario waterfront setting are now accessible through Correctional Service Canada guided tours. The combination of the 1835 architecture, the violent history and the proximity to the water make Kingston Penitentiary the most historically significant abandoned prison in Canada.
🔗 Learn more: Wikipedia – Kingston Penitentiary
2. Burwash Industrial Farm – Near Sudbury, Ontario — 1914 Self-Sustaining Prison Farm, 10,000 Acres, Barracks and Chapel Still Standing in the Northern Ontario Bush, Closed 1975 (Known Location)
Burwash Industrial Farm was one of the most unusual correctional institutions in Canadian history — a 10,000-acre working prison farm complex north of Sudbury where inmates grew food, raised livestock and operated a complete agricultural economy. Closed controversially in 1975, the original barracks buildings, the farm structures, the administration complex and the chapel still stand in the Northern Ontario bush, the boreal forest reclaiming the cleared farm fields. One of the largest and most extensively photographed abandoned correctional complexes in Canada.
🔗 Also read: Top 5 Best Abandoned Places in Canada →
3. Ontario Reformatory – Guelph, Ontario — 1910 Gothic Revival Prison Farm, Self-Sustaining Agricultural Correctional Complex, Cell Blocks and Administration Tower Still Standing (Known Location)
The Ontario Reformatory at Guelph was built on the self-sustaining prison farm model — a Gothic Revival administration tower, working cell blocks, greenhouses and agricultural operations spread across several hundred Wellington County acres. Closed in the 1970s after decades of court challenges over conditions, the original Gothic Revival administration tower, the cell block buildings and the farm infrastructure still stand across the Guelph site. One of the most architecturally extraordinary abandoned prisons in Ontario. GPS coordinates available with our map.
4. Abandoned 1840s Provincial Stone Jail – Original Limestone Cell Block, Narrow Iron-Bar Cells, Execution Yard Still Walled, Eastern Canada (Exclusively on Our Map)
A mid-19th-century provincial jail built from local limestone — the original narrow cell block with iron-bar cells barely wide enough to turn around in, the stone execution yard still enclosed by its original walls and the jailer's residence attached to the cell block as was standard practice in the era. Several executions were carried out here through the Victorian era; the names of condemned prisoners are still carved into cell walls by long-dead hands. The combination of the 1840s limestone construction, the documented executions and the enclosed yard atmosphere make this one of the most haunting abandoned prisons in Canada. Discover its exact location on our interactive map.
5. Abandoned 1900s Northern Ontario Correctional Camp – Boreal Forest Work Camp, Original Log Bunkhouses and Warden's Office Still Standing, Shield Wilderness (Exclusively on Our Map)
A 1900s-1920s correctional work camp in the Northern Ontario boreal — original log bunkhouses where inmates slept, the warden's office with period furnishings partially intact and the surrounding Canadian Shield wilderness that served as the natural perimeter for a camp where escape meant facing the boreal alone. Northern Ontario work camps were used for road and railway construction through the early 20th century; when mechanized construction equipment replaced inmate labour, the camps were simply abandoned. One of the most remote and most atmospherically isolated abandoned correctional places in Canada. Featured in our Canadian abandoned places map.
Safety Tips
- Asbestos: universal in pre-1980 Canadian correctional buildings — always wear an FFP2 mask in any enclosed cell block, corridor or service area
- Structural hazards: prison buildings have complex weight distributions from removed security hardware — always test floors before committing weight
- Never explore alone — always bring at least one other person
❓ FAQ
What is the most famous abandoned prison in Canada?
Kingston Penitentiary — opened in 1835, closed in 2013 after 178 years of operation. The massive limestone cell blocks, solitary confinement units and 1971 riot-damaged interiors are accessible through Correctional Service Canada guided tours.
What was Burwash Industrial Farm?
A 10,000-acre working prison farm complex north of Sudbury, operational from 1914 to 1975. Inmates grew food and raised livestock across the Northern Ontario Shield; the barracks, chapel and farm buildings still stand in the boreal bush.
What was the 1971 Kingston Penitentiary riot?
A six-day inmate uprising in April 1971 that destroyed much of the prison's interior and resulted in the deaths of two inmates. The riot became a defining moment in Canadian prison reform and led to significant changes in federal corrections policy.
🎯 Summary
Canada's abandoned prisons range from a limestone federal penitentiary that operated for 178 years to a 10,000-acre boreal prison farm and a Victorian stone jail where prisoner names are still carved into the cell walls. Each of these 5 abandoned prisons in Canada captures a different chapter of the country's correctional history — and the silence that followed when the last doors were locked for good.
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