As the mail arrived at the town clerk’s office, one letter stood apart from the rest. The dispatch was postmarked from a small Bavarian village. And as Gail McHugo slit open the envelope, a simple typed note began a journey into Canton’s history that few know about today. “More than 100 years ago,” the letter […]
This column began in 2011, and since it started I have been able to tell well over 100 stories tied to the unique history and character of Canton. It has not really been all that hard discovering the things that make us unique. When you are curious, and you talk to people who have been […]
As time erases more and more of our earliest history, it becomes even more incumbent upon us to preserve our place names that respect the original people who lived here. It seems so ironic that in this particular place in our history today, we are wary of immigrants, outsiders, and refugees, and yet hardly any […]
On a beautiful day in May in 1930, the ladies gathered at the home of Mrs. Dean S. Luce. There were dainty tea sandwiches on beautiful china plates. The ladies were dressed in their finest, with short daytime gloves and calf length dresses — accented by their Hollywood-inspired purses. Each of the women had taken […]
This story originally appeared in the Canton Citizen on November 12, 2015. It offers a glimpse into an early public health crisis and is being revisited with the hopes that it can serve to illuminate and educate as the community grapples with the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak. Thirteen years had passed since the visitor […]
In just a few days the ghosts and goblins will be knocking at the door. The season for tricks and treats is upon us, and while the weather is still pleasant, there are a few “ghosts” you can visit before the first snow flies. Well, not actual ghosts, but “ghost roads,” those long forgotten paths […]
Seattle was as far away from Canton as the man had been, and here he stood at the meeting point between the great transcontinental railroads and the great trans-Pacific steamship lines. Here was the gateway to an unforgettable journey to unexplored territories in Alaska. This was the life of Winthrop Packard, who explored the Arctic […]
First come the chainsaws, growling and ripping through ancient trees. Within days the landscape is transformed into a blank canvas of sand, dirt, and ledge. Then come the heavy equipment ripping and scarring the earth, tossing all that is an obstacle aside. Surveyors move in to flag new roadways; cement castings arrive to become embedded […]
A rich photographic history is preserved at the Canton Historical Society. With well over 4,000 catalogued images, each moment in time helps us see the fabric of the people and places of Canton. Through the lens of time, we take a moment to showcase photographs of then and now. Photos 1 & 2: Still standing […]
The house you live in today is likely an unremarkable dwelling. Built by a general contractor, suited for 21st century living. Our houses today are not especially special and in 100 years many of them will have been replaced by whatever is the fashion of that day. This is not a happy or sad statement; […]
