I had been to the this sanitarium many times over the years but never with Freaktography. Crazy since we have done so many explores together. Well, FINALLY we explored it together!
In 1897, officials opened the Muskoka Cottage Sanatorium on the wooded shores of Lake Muskoka, just outside Gravenhurst. At the time, tuberculosis killed thousands every year, and doctors had few tools to fight it. They believed fresh air, isolation, and long periods of rest offered the best chance of survival. That belief shaped everything about what later became known as the Abandoned Muskoka Sanitarium.
Rather than building a single hospital, planners spread small cottage-style wards across the property. Covered walkways and long verandas connected the buildings, allowing patients to spend hours outside, even during winter. Staff rolled beds onto porches so patients could breathe cold, clean air while resting. The design reflected medical thinking of the era, but it also gave the grounds a quiet, almost residential feel.
As demand grew, the site expanded. In the early 1900s, supporters opened the Muskoka Free Hospital for Consumptives on the same property. Donations funded care for patients who could not afford treatment, and people arrived from across Ontario. Many stayed for months or years, cut off from their families while doctors monitored their progress. Gravenhurst soon became known nationwide for tuberculosis care.
During the First World War and the years that followed, the sanitarium treated both civilians and returning soldiers. The property operated like a small community, with kitchens, laundries, workshops, and staff residences. Life followed a strict routine built around rest, meals, and outdoor exposure. For some patients, the treatment worked. For others, the sanitarium became the last place they lived.
Everything changed in the 1940s. Antibiotics such as streptomycin transformed tuberculosis from a long-term illness into one that doctors could treat quickly. Hospitals no longer needed to isolate patients for years at a time. As admissions dropped, the sanitarium’s original role faded, and by the late 1950s, tuberculosis care had largely moved elsewhere.
In 1960, the province gave the property a new purpose and renamed it the Muskoka Regional Centre. The buildings now housed people with developmental disabilities. While the site remained active, its aging layout caused problems almost immediately. Overcrowding, staffing shortages, and deteriorating infrastructure led to growing concerns. In 1994, officials closed the facility for good.
After that, everything stopped. Staff left, doors closed, and maintenance ended. Roofs failed, windows broke, and vegetation crept back across the grounds. Over time, the site gained a new reputation. Photographers, historians, and explorers began documenting the decay, and the Abandoned Muskoka Sanitarium entered Ontario’s abandoned landscape.
Today, the property still stands, caught between preservation and loss. Tuberculosis wards, residential dormitories, and service buildings remain scattered through the forest, each layer reflecting a different chapter in the site’s history. While redevelopment plans continue to surface, the Abandoned Muskoka Sanitarium remains a rare place where more than a century of medical and institutional history still exists in physical form.
