It is the glue, the paper, the ink that all decompose over time and produce that smell that is all too familiar to historians — old books. And stacked deep on the shelves of the Canton Historical Society are three enormous and ancient volumes of records that carry the smell of both time and history. […]
In late December 1800, Paul Revere at age 65 wrote, “I have engaged to build me a Mill for Rolling Copper into sheets which for me is a great undertaking, and will require every farthing which I can rake or scrape. For the Houses which I must necessarily build, I shall want fifteen thousand of […]
As an old and distinguished man, he had earned a well-deserved rest in the autumn of his life. Yet Paul Revere was not like his contemporaries of the day; throughout his life he remained driven and entrepreneurial. And at age 65, he was about to undertake his most ambitious project yet. He needed a secure […]
On May 31, 1921, the eyes of the world were on Dedham, Massachusetts, as one of the most famous trials in America was underway. Only a year earlier, a heinous crime had occurred in South Braintree when two men approached a couple of security guards who were delivering the payroll for the Slater and Morrill […]
The following is an excerpt from “Sound the Alarm,” the latest installment of True Tales from Canton’s Past by local historian George T. Comeau. The article tells the story of the Ponkapoag Fire Station and the current efforts to memorialize the firefighters through the preservation of the station’s original bell. … The building was dedicated […]
The following is an excerpt from “The Gift,” the latest installment of True Tales from Canton’s Past by local historian George T. Comeau. The little girl sat straight, her hands in her lap, holding a pink flower. Mary dared not smile; she simply fixed her gaze at the painter as he worked to capture her […]
There could be no more a prominent citizen than Congressman Elijah Adams Morse, and when he died in 1898, the entire community wept at the loss of this lion of a man. All factories, stores and places of business suspended operations and closed their doors during the services, and representatives of all classes of society, […]
Paul Folkman and Jim Lamarr are developers. And, quite honestly, being branded a developer in a small town like Canton is usually a bad thing. It is the developers that receive the scorn of neighborhood associations, who see encroachments as personal attacks upon the value of their homes. Developers are branded as greedy, irresponsible, and […]
The imagery that stirs the loudest in the Ken Burns documentary The Civil War is that of the letter from Sullivan Ballou to his wife, Sarah. In his now-famous letter to his wife, Ballou endeavored to express the emotions he was feeling: worry, fear, guilt, sadness, and most importantly, the pull between his love for […]
As Joe Bagley speaks, his passion for archeology flows. Standing in front of an overflowing room, Bagley looks the part of an archeologist — rugged boots, tough pants, and a boyish smile. The audience hangs on his every word. This is the Friends of the Blue Hills’ 35th anniversary meeting, and the city of Boston […]
