In 2008, after a failed rezoning effort left his clients short on hope and looking to cut its losses, a prominent Canton zoning attorney signed off on a request to demolish the buildings at Plymouth Rubber. The gauntlet was thrown down, and the situation looked bleak. Local preservationists on the Canton Historical Commission raised the […]
Can a house have a gender? Are there feminine lines to some houses and in others masculine elements that give the observer the sense that a house has the grace of a lady or the demeanor of a gentleman? There is a term for beautiful old Victorian Style homes that describes them perfectly: painted ladies. […]
There are very few architecturally significant houses from the early 1800s that have survived almost intact with respect to their adornment and features. One such example is the splendid house built for Dr. Ezra Abbot at 470 Washington Street. Even today, 182 years after it was built, this Italianate home exemplifies a style that is […]
That old silk flag must have been glorious. The boys that carried her would have looked resplendent in their uniforms. They were dressed in gray coats, white pantaloons, smart belts, and caps. In the fashion of the early uniforms of West Point, they were magnificent on that day. Atop their heads a leather shako cap […]
Below is the second in a two-part story about the Gelpke twins of Canton. Click here to return to part one, “Giving Thanks.” Bob and Roy Gelpke, twins that had never spent a day apart, left Canton together in May 1943. They can be seen smiling on a troop transport train as it leaves North […]
Below is the first in a two-part series about the Gelpke twins of Canton by True Tales author George T. Comeau. Many families in Canton had reason to celebrate and give thanks on Thanksgiving Day on November 22, 1945. The war in the European Theatre had ended on May 8 as Americans and Allies erupted […]
It is perhaps our most ancient roadway and most traveled. Washington Street, the main thoroughfare that begins at the foot of the Great Blue Hill and departs at Cobb Tavern in Stoughton. It is a spine that almost perfectly bisects Canton. If there were an East and West Canton, the dividing line is surely Washington […]
Linda Little has fond memories of her grandfather Leland’s home in Washington state. Looking back upon her time with him, she now knows what rooted her curiosity in archeology. “He had a room in the back of his house; it was a little museum,” Linda recalled. The room, filled with shelves and glass cases, held […]
Canton smells different today. We take advantage of clean air and fresh water and expect it as a given. As you can well imagine the Canton of the mid 1800s was a far different place than the world we know today. It is likely that you can count on one hand the number of pigs […]
There are over 30 historic photographs and artifacts connected to dogs in the archives of the Canton Historical Society. In some cases, the same dog appears across many photos throughout the life of a given photographer. We also have several historic dog licenses, some dating back to the Civil War period. Not to have a […]
