Emeline Crane was born in Canton in 1829; by the time she was 28 she was likely insane and a guardian was appointed to oversee her affairs. At the age of 59, Crane died in Taunton after a life plagued with chronic mania. The Annual Town Report for that same year shows an appropriation for […]
As the moon rose over Canton on a cold January night in 1887, the distant sounds of laughter echoed across Forge Pond. It was a night for sleighing and late into the night the ritual was in the last throes of enjoyment. There is, of course, the refrain in Jingle Bells that calls the best […]
At the age of 54, Thomas Gibson slipped quietly away from this world on May 6, 1899. The end came at Boston City Hospital, and after a life of pain and sorrow, the hurting stopped. The details of Gibson’s life are very hazy, and yet today there are still people who care for this man […]
For anyone who has ever watched Antiques Roadshow, they know that provenance is key to the value of antiques. The dusty old box of china in the attic is just fodder for a yard sale until it can be established that George Washington actually nibbled a piece of toast from the dinner plate. And yet […]
Emblazoned on the back of the Ford truck rattling through Canton Center is a bumper sticker that reads “Support Our Troops.” And in Canton, we are most fortunate to have a veterans agent who has worked for years to raise the status of our troops such that it is a no-brainer when it comes to […]
The following is an excerpt from “Hiram’s Notes,” the latest installment of True Tales from Canton’s Past by local historian George T. Comeau. It is indeed curious to look upon seemingly random jottings and build a portrait of a person whom we have never met. It’s a simple gesture, a note that records the cycle […]
There was a time when the early factory system in New England was inextricably tied to the social welfare of the workers and their families. This was part of the social contract in the early 19th century that led to the building of large-scale factories and industrialization throughout the waterways of the region. When you […]
They were the daughters, the brothers, the parents, and the soldiers themselves. They came to share their stories. Some neighbors shared heroic tales, and others told of sadness and loss. And in the voices of these people was pride and patriotism. The ideals of our nation lay bare in their hands. They carried brittle yellow […]
It was one of the largest town meetings in anyone’s memory. Hundreds of men packed Memorial Hall in April 1884. The topic at hand was the establishment of a committee that would investigate the sources of water supply available to the town. The discussion had begun as early as 1882, and now the town was […]
The following is an excerpt from “We Are All Citizens,” the latest installment of True Tales from Canton’s Past by local historian George T. Comeau. There was a message on my voicemail on the second week of August. Sue Gibbs was letting me know that I had been named “Citizen of the Year” and that […]
