On a quiet Sunday afternoon the sounds of Brahms would lift through the lazy air and people would gather on the sidewalk to listen. The music flowing from the small house at 847 Washington Street was indescribably beautiful. Inside the house Ms. Lillian Shattuck held the attention of her assembled guests. For anyone who heard […]
It has been hard to write about historical times in Canton’s history. My editor kept poking me to get back to it, and I have thus far resisted. Well, until now. I think it has been particularly difficult because it feels like we are indeed living in a history of our own. And, as yet […]
The modest white house at 154 Dedham Street is most unassuming, yet it is one of our most important unmarked national historic sites owing to the family that moved there in the early 1900s. And while much has been written about Augustus Hinton, little has been written about his daughters and wife. Augustus (Gus) Hinton […]
The following is the second in a two-part series. Click here to read part one. Perhaps they weren’t quite friends; they certainly were well acquainted. Everett Ellis was only 15 years old and had been in trouble before. In most instances, Ellis’ mother was able to buy him out of trouble. There was an incident […]
The following is the first in a two-part series. Click here for part two of the series. At age 55, Sarah Ellis was a sturdy woman who had endured the loss of her husband just two years prior. At the hands of a weak heart, Daniel Christian Freleigh Ellis’ death had saddened the community. This […]
I’m sharing a more personal story this week, and one that has certainly had me thinking deeply about relationships, friendships and growing up in a community where “everyone knows your name.” As a writer who focusses on local history, much of the time preparing and researching stories is spent with the dead. The yellowed and […]
There are times when all we have are gauzy reminiscences of Canton “the way it was.” At the Historical Society we are blessed to have thousands of images of the photographic memory of Canton. Almost all of them are digitized and at some point they will become accessible on the web. With a catalogue that […]
Perhaps we take our modern town for granted. We are blessed with clean water, air and septic systems that keep us safe and healthy. Our Board of Health is an amazing asset to our community. Organizing health fairs, inspecting restaurants, working closely with school nurses, and overseeing extensive licensing and permitting are all responsibilities of […]
Augustus Hemenway Jr. stepped from his electric car as his driver waited patiently. Walking up Washington Street in the shadow of Memorial Hall, Hemenway surveyed the two houses he had only recently purchased. The houses were quite old and sat on a small hill at the intersection of Sherman and Washington streets. It was here […]
In Windsor, Connecticut, there is a small bible that is torn and damaged. The bible came to America in the hands of Jonathan Gillett as he sailed aboard the ship Mary and John. Gillett found himself in what was then Dorchester. Within five years of his arrival, Gillett had moved to Windsor and began a […]
