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 […]
The Canton Historical Society celebrated the completion of the first phase of preservation work at the David & Abigail Tilden House at Pequitside Farm with an open house on Sunday, October 13. Guests enjoyed tours of the circa 1725 home as well as an exhibit of artifacts discovered during the preservation process and a variety […]
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 […]
On a windy February night in 1804, Samuel Talbot sat at his desk in Stoughton and thought back over the year. Talbot had spent the last several months overseeing a controversy that had begun in 1727 that pitted wealthy mill owners against farmers and a way of life that was disappearing with the dawn of […]
The Paul Revere Heritage Site hosted its first ever event recently — a celebration of the 125th anniversary of the Neponset River Regional Chamber. The site has been under development since finally receiving approval in 2015 after a lengthy rezoning effort. The chamber event was held on Thursday evening, September 19. Some construction delays meant […]
On July 3, 1756, David Tilden drew his last breath in what was then Stoughton. And up until now, that was merely a historical curiosity that would pass each year without any note or mention. But this year we will gather at his grave and visit a very old friend. We will offer a prayer […]
At age 58, James Ritchie had accomplished more than 10 men would in a lifetime. Think of a life in chapters or seasons and the storyline becomes clear. Born here in Canton on May 12, 1815, in what is now the Draper House at Pequitside Farm, the young man flourished under the watchful eye of […]
