Canton Public Library Canton Public Library, MA Main Page Page 1 of 1 Town of Canton Reference Circulation Junior Room Young Adult OCLN Canton Public Library Services & Collections Site Search ilaa, Library History Building Renovation Policies Library Trustees Hours and Directions Friends of the Library Site Map Canton Organizations Children's Librarians Ann Woodman and Betty Ann Swartz receive literacy award The Library building is closed for renovation and construction. Please visit us at our temporary location on Draper Lane Visit our Building Renovation page often for renovation news. lot Log directly into the Old Colony Library Network catalog by entering your library card number and PIN. Your PIN is OCLN until you change it. PIN: Login Library Card Number: Main Number 781.821.5027 786 Washington Street Canton, MA 02021 Page best viewed at 800 X 600 pixels Contact Webmaster Updated 08/05/03 http://town.canton.ma.us/library/ 8/15/2003 [iBistro] Canton Public Library Page 1 of 2 Canton Public Library Old Colony Library Network Search/Home Just For Kids My Account Audio / Video / Large Print Print 8 Email 30 Back Help New Search Previous Net Change Display Saved Titles Logout record 4 of 44 for search words or phrase "canton history" Full Canton comes of age : 1979-1997, a history of the town of Canton, Massachusetts View Canton (Mass.). Bicentennial Historical Committee. From Save to Catalog List Click HERE for Item Location Holo More by Corporate Author Canton (Mass.). Bicentennial Historical Committee. author Title Canton comes of age : 1979-1997, a history of the town of More like Canton, Massachusetts / Canton Bicentennial Historical the Committee. You Found Titles Publication info Canton, Mass. : Bicentennial Historical Committee, 1997. in Categories: American Literature Physical descrip 246 p. : photos. ; 28 cm. Christian General Note Edward Lynch, Jr., Committee Chair and writer ; Christopher Denominations Brindley, Curator, Canton Historical Society and word Economic History processing ; James A. Roache, writer ; Ann Leonard Brindley. General Geography, Held by CANTON STOUGHTON Atlases, Maps History: United Geographic term Canton (Mass.)--History. States Local and Geographic term Canton (Mass.)--Centennial celebrations, etc. America Added author Lynch, Edward, Jr. Transportation and Communications Added author Brindley, Christopher. Added author Roache, James A. Added author Brindley, Ann Leonard. Canton Public Library Copies Material Location 974.4 C 1 REFERENCE REFERENCE 1 BOOK Material has been checked out 974.4 CANTON C 2 REFERENCE STORAGE NO HOLDS Stoughton Public Library Copies Material Location 974.4 CAN 1 REFERENCE STO. COLL. http://204.164.184.40/uhtbin/cgisirsi/KhVxr5Y5gq/73410229/9 8/15/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 1 of 30 Canton Historical Society 1400 Washington Street Canton, Massachusetts USA 02021 This is the text version of The Canton Bicentennial History Book. This is not the Final Draft, there are some spelling errors. Also there are some punctuation errors, nothing major. Canton Comes Of Age 1797-1997 A History Of The Town Of Canton, Massachusetts http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 2 of 30 RESIDENCE DE A MORSE GANTON Published By: The Town of Canton 1997 Canton Bicentennial Committee Mr. William J. Armando, Jr. - Chairman Mrs. Susan L. Reddington - Secretary Mt. Cabot Devoll - Finance Committee Mr. Clyde Pushard - Ball Committee http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 3 of 30 Mr. Joseph Uliano - Parade Committee Mrs. Lee Thompson - Parade Committee Mrs. Ada Goodrich - Festival Committee Mrs. Maureen Dickie - Fundraising Committee Mrs. Linda Cammarata - Fundraising Committee Mrs. Norma Gaynor - Fundraising Committee Mr. Edward Lynch, Jr. - Historical Committee Mr. Daniel C. Keleher - Historical Committee Mr. Richard Staiti - Legal Advisor Mr. Richard Rousseau - School Department Liaison Mr. Al D'Attanasio - School Department Liaison Mrs. Bicentennial Historical Committee Mr. Edward Lynch, Jr. - Committee Chairman & Writer Mr. Daniel C. Keleher - Research Advisor Mr. Edward Bolster - President, Canton Historical Society & Writer Mr. Christopher Brindley - Curator, Canton Historical Society & Word Processing Mr. James Roache - Writer Mr. Peter Pineo - Writer This Book Is Dedicated To The Memory Of Daniel Thomas Vose Huntoon, Canton's Greatest Historian. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 14 of 30 The Kenney family erected the Tavern in 1753. In 1818, they sold out to John Gerald who added a second story and expanded the Tavern. He was competing with the popular Ponkapoag Hotel just down the road which boasted of its access to Ponkapoag Pond. Gerald decided to create his own access. In 1831, he dug a canal through Ponkapoag Bog and set up a small fleet of boats to take Tavern guests on excursions out to the pond itself. While the project was certainly ambitious, it was not a success. The yellow house at 3 Homans Lane once stood right on Washington Street across from Cherry Hill Tavern's original site. The building served as a stables and bowling alley. In 1839, it was moved back from Washington Street and is now owned by Mr. James Homans. In the 1980's, the apartment at the back of this house was home to the present host of NBC's "TODAY" Show, Matt Laurer and his wife Nancy. Canto- Francis Sturtevant purchased Cherry Hill Tavern in 1841 and ran it until his death in 1863. Two years later the tavern building was acquired by Samuel Cabot for use as a summer residence. Cabot was a prominent Boston physician who served on the staff of Massachusetts General Hospital. He was also a pioneer in the woman's suffrage movement and an abolitionist. His Boston home was reportedly a stop on the underground railroad. In 1902, Cabot's son Arthur hired architect Charles Platt to design a Georgian Mansion on the property. This imposing building was home to the Cabot and Bradley families until 1990 when Eleanor Cabot Bradley died and the 70 acre property was bequeathed to the Trustees of Reservations. The resulting Eleanor Cabot Bradley Reservation is a well-preserved example of the era of country retreats, and is open to the public At the very top of Ponkapoag Hill, next to Route 138, stands the Ponkapoag Schoolhouse. This neighborhood landmark, opened in 1894, was generously donated to the Town by Augustus Hemenway of Green Street. Many long time Ponkapoag residents have rich memories of their education at the Ponkapoag School. In its earliest days, the school house comprised two classrooms on the ground floor where eight grades were taught. On the second floor there was a single large room for "rainy day" activities. Years later it became a four room schoolhouse with grades one through four. Most residents also fondly remember the school's red cedar shingles with distinctive diamond-cut patterns which are currently hidden by practical but less attractive vinyl siding. The present structure is actually the third Ponkapoag schoolhouse. The first which opened in 1726, was located to the south on the site of the Redman Farmhouse. The second school house is what is now the Ponkapoag Chapel which was moved to its present location when the neighborhood's population outgrew the school. The opening of the modern Hansen School in 1969 signaled the end of the Ponkapoag School's educational career. In 1975, Police Chief Ruane proposed converting the building into a police substation. The Selectmen supported this idea but for various reasons, it did not come to be. The school presently houses the administrative offices of the Old Colony Boy Scout Council. Directly across Route 138 from the school yard once stood Indian Line Farm. Founded by Albert Whittier in the 1920's, the name refers to the northern boundary of Ponkapoag Plantation which passes through the property. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 21 of 30 to shelter were built. On May 6, 1897, Hoosic Whisick Club was elected to the United States Golf Association, and in 1903, to the Massachusetts Golf Association. In the early 1900's, the Club hired Scottish golf course designer, Willie Parks. Parks designed courses worldwide, including 70 in the United States, and was responsible for the basic nine-hole design which exists to this day. In 1942, World War II forced the closure of the Club. Fairways became hayfields, and the clubhouse was boarded up. In 1946, the Milton Club and the Whisick merged, forming the Milton Hoosic club. The Milton Club, founded in 1891, provided members with bowling, billiards, dances, lectures, concerts and plays. Its Milton function facility is still part of the Milton Hoosic, a club with a hundred year history of serving families in Milton and Canton. Continuing on Greenlodge Street, we will end our tour at a simple spot at the center of Ponkapoag, which symbolizes the nature of this Canton neighborhood. On the right, where Greenlodge Street intersects Route 138, there is an open field. A mere field, one might say. So what? This happens to be the sole remaining hay field along this stretch of highway from Mattapan to Stoughton, a stretch that was once virtually lined with hay fields and farms. We end our tour of Ponkapoag here. Our tour was not meant to be a full definitive history, merely a glimpse of a special place, Ponkapoag, and its unusual background. If Ponkapoag seems to be a fine place in which to live or recreate or both, it is no accident. Certainly those who live here owe something to the foresight of the Commonwealth in setting aside public lands. Also, it is a credit to the private landowners who carefully maintained open, natural spaces against considerable temptations of commercial development. Above all, a fierce spirit of preservation in the people of Ponkapoag themselves has assured that, despite such intrusions as Route 128, Ponkapoag would remain a green and pleasant place, the true gateway to Canton, rich in the deepest American history. whic Canton Corner Yesterday & Today Canton Corner was the most affluent of the five known areas in Canton. This section started at 926 Washington Street at the site of the Elijah A. Morse's red brick mansion. Today it is the site of the high school auditorium. It continued north for approximately two miles and ended at the entrance gate of the Canton cemetery. Today the connecting land is known as Dogpatch. Chapman and Dedham Streets on the left and Eliot, Pleasant and Randolph Streets on the right formed the "Corner". The Ponkapoag and York areas were the first to be settled. As population increased the town expanded southward following the main Street. The General Court in Boston demanded that the town of Stoughton build a spiritual and municipal center. This was done in 1707, and the First Parish Church Congregational was built. whie Canton Corner got named because the old road curved in the Randolph Street area. It was called the road to Fennos then. It also curved near the Chapman Street section where Gilbert Endicott ran a http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 22 of 30 tavern.. The road was wider at these points. The Corner was known as the home of the industrialists. Elijah A. Morse built his mansion on the hill overlooking his Rising Sun Stove Polish Company. Charles H. French built his stone mansion on the adjoining property to Morse. His textile business, the French & Ward Co., was in West Stoughton. George Walter Capen was a noted architect and builder. He built several Draper Victorian homes on Washington Street and many others on Chapman Street. The Asa Shepard and the John Withington homes are two of the oldest still standing today. The Chapman Street section of the Corner went just beyond the Wattles property. From this point west it became known as the Junction. It was a tree lined residential Street. The Knitted Padding Co., which was hardly visible from the road was one of the very few industries there. Some of the early residents on the Street were Brightman, Bright, French, Sumner and Wattles. Eliot Street has remained a quiet residential Street. Early families here were Griffin, McKenna, Keefe, Weldon, Hepworth, Goss, Allen and Hughes. Pleasant Street was called Ragged Row in 1770. There were no houses on the east side of the Street heading south until after 1850. On the west side of the Street, Reverend William Ritchie built his house in 1809. Today it is the Pequitside farm. New Streets have been added to the area. Reservoir Circle, Pleasant Garden road, Oak road, Wood road, and Pleasant Circle. The "Corner" ended at the Capper property. From there on it was referred to as Springdale. Some of the early residents were John Draper, Paul Draper, Daniels, Robotham, Williams, Alexander, Dean, Lincoln, Gill, Guild, Gelpke and Capper. Randolph Street was known as the "way to Randolph", St. Mary's cemetery and the Massachusetts Hospital School commanded the most attention. There were very houses here until Randolph Street was widened and paved. New roads were added, Brayton Circle, Russell Street and Wentworth Road and others branching from these. There are many new houses with well kept property. Some of the early residents were Titus, Martin, and Black. Canton Corner ended at the Turnpike. The first high school was located at the Corner. The building cost $10,000 to erect in 1866 and demolished in 1950. It served as the high school until 1912 when the new Hemenway/Canton High school was built. The old school remained through the years and had various use. Mr. E. J. Henniker operated an auto repair shop there. In 1935 Dave Medlicott took over the business and opened a gasoline and neighborhood store. Later Richard Mugford ran the same business. Today Getty Gas occupies the space. The John Adams family lived at 1184 Washington and they ran a small store from a front room. Further up the Street Louise Titus operated a small store on Draper Lane. The old Vose Tavern next to the store belonged to the Draper Company and it was dismantled in 1993. The Gilbert Endicott tavern was on the corner of Washington and Chapman Street. The Li'l White store has become a favorite in the same location. Mary Estey ran a small candy shop in her front room at 1390 Washington and a small gas station and convenience store was operated by John Farrow. Alexander Sturrock also had a store in his home. Today the DePalma Nursery and Greenhouse is in the area. The original Eliot School, dedicated in 1867, stood on the corner of Washington and Randolph Streets. It was later moved to the present location. The Public Works and the Planning Board have use of it now. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 23 of 30 the The old Everett Tavern, later the George Frederick Sumner Mill was deeded to the Canton Historical Society in 1911 by Mr. Sumner. The Morse and French estates became the site of the present Canton High School. An article in the 1963 town warrant opened the flood gates to many new roads. Wildwood Drive, Old Meadow Lane, Historical Way, First Parish Road, Brayton Circle, Williams Street, and many more followed, adding many new ;homes and residents. In 1887 the population was 4,516, today it is approximately 18,900. Some of the early families have gone from the "Corner" but their names remain. Burt, Capen, Clayton, Danahy, Downes, Endicott, French, Galligan, Gerald, Goding, Healy, Hewett, Morse, Packard, Reed, Shepard, Titus, Wetherbee, and Wilde. Gone from the "Corner" are the first Town Hall, The Canton Corner Post Office, The first High School, The Corner Fire station, The Vose Tavern, The Draper Mill houses, and the Helen Williams Farm. Starting at the French property (the High School) and continuing up to the Endicott property (Audry Fields Real Estate Office) there were great deep fields. In the center of the French property there was a great oak tree where Ahauton, Indian sachem, held tribal meetings. Today the WW II memorial marks the spot. After the Endicott house there were more fields, ledge, bushes, briars and scrub trees. This section was called the Dark Corner and rightly SO as there were no Street lights here. Post cards and letters were often sent to the post office marked Dark Corner, Canton. No zip code or state. Anyone walking by the Dark Corner after five o'clock ran or hastened their steps, Today it is no longer dark. Now in 1997 there are several business here. Two photographers, three real estate agencies, two dentists, and one optometrist. Added to the postman's route is the Temple Beth Abraham and the United Church of Christ. Canton looks kindly on the past and sets its sights on the future. We praise the residents for keeping the "Corner" a lovely residential section of the town. THE SPRINGDALE NEIGHBORHOOD Springdale, SO named because of its abundance of springs and its rural setting, is located in the southern section of Canton. It incorporates Pleasant Street from Bolivar Street to the Stoughton town line, and Pine street across the railroad tracks to North Street and adjacent streets. Huntoon's History of Canton states that in March, 1719 the neighborhood was called "Dorchester Swamp, now Pleasant Street." In the early maps it is also referred to as District V (5). The map of 1876 shows it largely undeveloped, though a few names familiar to old Cantonians emerge: Pitcher, Bailey, Reed, Downes, Upham, Draper, Mansfield, and Withington. Pine Street was accepted by the town in 1881, and by the turn of the twentieth century growth was seen in the area. By 1934 there were 150 residents with names like Barnes, Bomar, Connor, Gardner, Meadows, Paul and Shaw. Pleasant Street was surveyed in March 1831 and was called the "Stoughton Road", with Beaver http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 24 of 30 Brook running into it from today's Route 138, which was then called the "Stoughton Turnpike". Beaver Brook fed water power to several industries : C. Draper Cardigan Jacket Manufacturing Company, the Satinette Factory which was later the site of the Springdale Finishing Company and still later Groveton Paper Company. The Springdale Manor apartment complex is now situated on this former industrial location. In 1796 one of the first schools was erected on Pleasant Street, called the "Ragged Row" Branch to accommodate some sixty children living in the area. The drive to erect the school was spearheaded by some familiar Canton names: Estey, Withington, Clark, Wentworth and Morse. The early school was replaced by the present building on the same site in 1853 and named the Sherman School in honor of its location near the early home of Roger Sherman, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The building is now a private residence having evolved from school to VFW hall to a home. Edward Galvin's history of Canton Junction reports that the opening of the Stoughton Branch Railroad in 1844 speeded up growth of the area. The line was double tracked and sidings installed for gravel removal in 1886. Gravel from this thirty-two acre pit was used to provide fill for Boston's Pemberton Square area for building the new Court House. In 1969 additional spur lines were installled for Groveton Paper and the Ferrera Food Warehouse. In 1891 a train station costing $1200 was built replacing one constructed in 1855. In 1919, locals were thrilled when "Anne of Green Gables" featuring the movie star Mary Miles Minter was filmed at the Springdale Station. Unfortunately hard times and bankruptcy forced the station to close in 1938 and to be razed in 1940. During World War II troop trains ran through the area at all hours, causing many a family heartache knowing their boys quite likely were heading overseas. The hill overlooking the station was actively used as a watch tower during World War II to be on guard for enemy planes. Springdale produced many fine athletes, the most famous being the "Springdale Mudhens" baseball club, SO called from the primitive conditions at their field on the corner of Bolivar and Pleasant Streets, since improved and enlarged to today's Devoll Field. No neighborhood would be complete without its little variety store and no politician's campaign could neglect a stop at what is now "Springdale Variety" at the corner of Bolivar and Pine Streets, started by the Estey family back in the 1940's. Today Springdale has grown immensely and includes a dozen new streets and about 500 condominiums and apartments. The old under-developed, horse and carriage area has gone forever as 12,000 vehicles stream through the section each day. All this is two hundred years old - and still growing. THE JUNCTION Two hundred years ago transportation and communication in Canton was almost non-existent. The early settlers found it necessary to give names to areas to pinpoint their location in the town. Thus Ponkapoag was named for the location where the Indians lived. Part of this area was also called "The Farms" for obvious reasons. Springdale was SO called because of its pristine springs and ponds. The Hardware was named for two reasons. The slag and bits of metal from the blast furnace at the Kinsley http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 25 of 30 Iron Works was dumped in this part of town, and the Gridley mill and the Gridley Forge were manufacturing cannons and mortars here. Canton Corner, sometimes called the Dark Corner, was situated between Washington and Chapman Streets and Washington and Randolph Streets. The Junction was not named until after the Viaduct was begun in 1835 and the branch railroad line opened to Stoughton and Easton. It was only fitting to call this area "The Junction". It consisted of ten streets: Beaumont, Lower Chapman, Everett, Fuller, Jackson, Spaulding, Van Buren, the west end of Neponset, the west end of Sherman, and part of Walpole Street. Benjamin Everendon and James Beaumont had established businesses in the general area as early as 1800. The Stone Factory (today's Emerson and Cummings building) opened in 1824 and the area became a thriving community. English, Irish, Scots and Italiens moved here and many worked at the Bleachery which manufactured cotton and woolen textiles. Some of the firms established here were the C. C. Callahan Fire Hose Company, Grow Tire, Crow Blacking, Deane Coal, Hatfield Paint and Art Supplies, J. J. White, Porter Patent Leather, Rathburn Patent Leather, and Wattles Dressing and Sizing. Perhaps the most famous person to live in the Junction was the Transcendentalist. Margaret Fuller. Born in Cambridge in 1810, her father, Timothy Fuller, was a professor at Harvard, while her mother, Margaret Crane Fuller, was the daughter of Peter Crane of Canton. She grew up on Neponset Streeet, where the Canton Estates Apartments are presently located. Margaret had a phenomenal intelligence and was known as a "Cultural Reformer". Her friends included Emerson, Thoreau, Poe, Bronson, and many other literary giants of the time. She was an author and contributed articles to all the important periodicals of the day. She was on the staff of the New York Tribune and went to Italy as a correspondent for that paper and contributed up to date material on the crisis in Italy under Garibaldi. In 1850 she sailed from Italy with her husband, Count D'Ossoli, and their son. Her ship met with a terrible storm off Fire Island in New York and tragically all three were drowned. The Bleachery owned a building that was converted into a community hall and was used by various denominations as a place of worship. Farrell's store on Neponset Street and Allie Bisbee's store on Chapman Street helped serve the neighborhood. Both Andrew Oliver and Raymond Dickie operated blacksmith shops in the area. There were no paved roads and automobiles were a novelty at the turn of this century. Dr. Lonergan ministered to medical needs, and his daughter, Mary, was the school teacher in the old Revere School. She taught in this school until the new Revere School was completed in 1915. She then became Principal of the avant-garde building, whose progressive design 15017 became known all over the United States. The prior Revere School served as a barracks for soldiers guarding the Viaduct during World War I. In 1861 Lincoln's call came for volunteers for the Civil War and twenty-two year old Hiram Briggs and his eighteen year old brother, Edwin, of Fuller Street marched off together to serve the Union in Company A of the Fourth Regiment. Thomas Tapper was a noted pianist who lived on the corner of Neponset and Chapman Streets. He played in many of the music halls of America, and his recordings were made on early Edison cylinders. There was a small pond behind Fuller Street called "the goosey" where young children swam and skated. There was also Mrs. Chapman's pond beside the railroad tracks that was used exclusively for boys. The opening of the Canton Airport was a boon to the Junction. The neighbors often went there on Sundays to take advantage of the dollar flight and to see Canton from the air. The Graf Zepplin and http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 26 of 30 the Shenendoah dirigibles were plainly visible as they followed the railroad tracks to New York. Then there were the legendary White sisters, whose house overlooked the airport and who invited friends to fly with them in a cabin plane to Plymouth and return for tea at their home. The charming sisters were frequent visitors at the airport. Known for their sense and sensitivity, they were a fixture at town meetings and often questioned the financial feasibility of proposals and the effect change would make on the town. There have been many changes in the Junction section of Canton with the explosion of growth on Neponset and lower Chapman Streets. The Neponset Valley Industrial Park, the business building at Number 345, Chapman Park, Nick's Restaurant, gas stations, and Gabriel's Auction Centre are burgeoning commercial enterprises, while there has been corresponding growth in apartments and condominiums at the Junction. The road to Norwood was once known as the Willow Road, but today all the willow trees have been lost to development and highways. Where is this little community now? Where is it heading? The Viaduct is scheduled for redesign SO high speed trains can roar through. The old Canton Junction railroad station building will be literally picked up and moved to a new location to provide for hundreds of more commuter parking spots. And what of the river? Who will care about pollution and rubble poisoning the stream? Mr. Carl Lavin of Fuller Street has dared to guard it. His dream is to make the fowl meadows Canton's jewel. He knows that every weary river one day meets the sea. THE HARDWARE The Hardware section of Canton extends from Washington Street at High Street to the Sharon- Stoughton line and encompasses the side streets Pierce Place, Drake Lane, Shepard Street, Pond Street, Kinsley Place and the west end of Dunbar Street. Water power essential for manufacturing in the early days was abundant in this part of town. An early fabrication site was located where Massapoag Brook crosses Shepard Street. Here at first were manufactured wagon wheels, and here, too, William Otis invented America's first earth excavator. Later in 1855 Luke and Joel Shepard erected a silk mill there where silk stockings were produced for sale across the country. The business flourished until destroyed by fire and explosion shortly after the beginning of the 20th century. On the easterly side of Washington Street, near the present Newell S. Hagen Court, water flowing under Washington Street powered a forge owned by Richard Gridley who lived nearby at what is today 178 Washington Street. Gridley was a Major General in the American Revolution and founder of the Army Corps of Engineers. Nearby, too, at Kinsley Place is the burial ground where Gridley was initially interred. Across the street on the westerly side a building was erected in 1835 by the Canton Hardware Company whose principal was Jonathan Robinson. The enterprise became SO successful that soon that whole end of town became known as "The Hardware." Their output consisted of pruning, knives, ferules, and screwdrivers. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 9 of 30 meteorologist. During the infamous Blizzard of 1978, the Observatory recorded continual wind gusts in excess of 90 MPH. Winds of over twice this speed, 186 MPH, were recorded by the Observatory during the Hurricane of 1938. The Blue Hill Weather Observatory is truly the foremost landmark structure in the history of American weather forecasting. The Observatory and the Ski Area, are just two of the features of the the 8,000 acre Blue Hills Reservations, probably the single most important recreational resource in metropolitan Boston. The Reservation was laid out in 1892 by Charles Eliot, the famous landscape architect and partner with Frederick Law Olmsted. Eliot reconfigured the boundaries of the original Ponkapoag Plantation to include the thirteen peaks currently in the Reservation. The Reservation's use of its open space has since become a model for open land use planning worldwide. It is the oldest metropolitan park in the United States, growing from an original 6,000 acres to the present 8,000 acres and including over 500 miles of wooded trails. Hundreds of thousands of people have enjoyed the Reservation, including Pope John Paul II. In 1980, at the invitation of The Friends of the Blue Hills, the papal motorcade ascended to the summit of the Great Blue Hill. As we proceed toward the intersection of Route 138 and Royal Street, Howard Johnson's comes into view. A landmark since 1937, this was one of the first franchises of this restaurant chain, started in Quincy during the 1920's. This particular "HoJo's" has been a popular meeting place through the years, despite a major fire which damaged much of the building. Franchise Associates bought the building, renovated it and updated the HoJo images. Today this restaurant serves as a training facility for HoJo personnel. Howard Johnson's and the cluster of gas stations known as Gasoline Alley owe their creation to the "old" Route 128. On Royal Street is a unique mix of residential, State Park land and businesses such as Instron, the Bank of Boston, and Boston Mutual, some of Canton's largest taxpayers. Instron, situated on the former Chase estate, is of particular note. They are recognized as a "model" company, having kept most of their 65 acre estate as open space. And for many years, the company operated a working farm, complete with livestock. The company served up their own produce in the cafeteria. The Trinity Episcopal Church anchors the corner of Route 138 and Blue Hill River Road on land donated by the late Martha Prowse in 1964. The church was dedicated in September 1969. The entrance to Prowse Farm, presently owned by Meditech, is a short distance down River Road on the right. thousands of years, Indians farmed the broad plain on which the farm sits. They called this area Maswatusek or "Land by the Great Hill". This is the origin of the name Massachusetts. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 27 of 30 At the home of Gridley's first forge, there were continuous manufacturing activities from 1772 till the middle of this century. American Net and Twine prospered there in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The site became more noted, however, as the home of Samson Electric which at one time was one of the largest producers of electrical equipment in this country. Its business was finally squeezed to death when some of its competitors combined to form the General Electric Company. The Gridley School was opened in 1854 and served as a neighborhood school for over a hundred years. For most of that time it was a two-classroom building with Grades 1-3 on the first floor and Grades 4-6 on the second. There were only two teachers each responsible for three grades. Marion Maxim, Daniel Murphy, Ellen Cronan, Florence Alsop, and Helen White were some of the great teachers there. Well known residents of the Hardware have been: Fred Drake a long-time Selectman and Fire Chief; Carleton Taber, three-time Selectman and Town Clerk; Larry Walsh, a Canton educator; Russell Lowry a School Committee member in the 1930's; his wife, Doris, a teacher at Canton High School; Police Officers Harry Brown, James Brown, Sr. William Buckley, and Arthur Fitzgerald; Police Chief Joseph Buckley; Fire Chief James A. Fitzpatrick; Plumbing Inspector, Ted Tordoff; Percy Leavitt, editor and publisher of the Canton Journal; Peter Callery, Town Clerk; Mildred Dunbar, founder of the Community Club; Roger Baldwin, Treasurer of the Canton Co-operative Bank; Dr. Harold Tate, school dentist for many years; Fire fighter James "hookis" Bennett; Professor John Powers of Boston College; Fred "Pappy" Buckley; and artists Elaine and Alan Lowry. The Hardware is a clearly defined, cohesive and proud neighborhood. A Brief History Of Pequitside Farm By Chris Brindley In this Canton's Bicentennial year, it is also fitting to pay tribute to Pequitside Farm that will be one hundred and eighty-eight years old this summer. The story of Pequitside Farm as we know it began on May 20, 1809, when the Reverend William Ritchie purchased a parcel of land on Pleasant Street. The land was sold by Martha Howard, widow of Reverend Zachariah Howard, for the sum of $2,230 for thirty-six acres. Mr. Ritchie built at least the front portion of the present Main House. Ritchie was the pastor of the First Congregational Church at Canton Corner. It was during his ministry here that the Separation of Church and State took place in Massachusetts. He married Miss Clarissa Kimball of Bradford, Mass. They had three sons, William, James and Daniel Kimball Ritchie, one of which became the Mayor of Roxbury. The Ritchies left Canton in 1821 to settle in Needham, Mass., where Rev. Ritchie was installed as Minister of the First Parish. He died in Needham in 1842, his wife Clarissa passed away in 1855. In June of 1822, Mr. Ritchie sold his Pleasant Street parsonage to the Reverend Benjamin Huntoon. The house and property amounted to about twenty acres and cost $2,250. Reverend Huntoon and his wife had five children, one of whom was Daniel T. V. Huntoon. Daniel was the author of The History http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 28 of 30 of Canton, published in 1893, after his death. In January 1822, Benjamin Huntoon was ordained as pastor of the First Congregational Church. In the winter of 1829 he left Canton to preach in Bangor, Maine. After the death of his wife in 1839, he returned to Massachusetts in 1840. In the spring of 1842 he returned to his old congregation in Canton. He died April 19, 1864. Before going to Bangor, he sold his Pleasant Street home with twenty acres to Phineas Miller Crane for $1,800. Huntoon later married Susan Lewis of Canton whose father had been a long time Selectman and had signed the documents incorporating the Town in 1797. Phineas Miller Crane was the son of Major General Elijah and Desire (Withington) Crane. He graduated from Harvard in 1824 and received his degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1828. He was married in the winter of 1833. He practiced medicine in Canton before moving to East Boston where he died in 1882. He sold his Canton home to James Dunbar for $1,800. Dunbar was the son of the Honorable Elijah Dunbar and was the youngest of nine children. He married Sarah Kinsley, the daughter of Adam and Sarah Kinsley. Adam Kinsley was a partner with Jonathan Leonard in the manufacture of iron implements. Later the partnership dissolved and Kinsley started the Kinsley Iron and Machine Company. James Dunbar was the president of the Neponset Bank and in 1814 was the custodian of the Powder House which was built behind Pequitside in 1809. He was, also, a partner with James Bent in the manufacture of swords. He owned property with James Sumner in Sharon which was a source of timber and hay. Dunbar sold the Pleasant Street home with twenty acres to Benjamin R. Nichols for $2,100 on April 22, 1843. From 1846 to 1852, Nichols purchased other parcels on the easterly side of Pleasant Street. After his death the property remained with his heirs until April 8, 1854, when Thomas Ward purchased the original twenty acres for $7,600. It was at this time that Pequitside began to acquire its present boundaries. In May 1857, Ward bought the Little Red House parcel of six and a quarter acres for $2,600 and another twelve acres for $1,000. This brought his estate to thirty-eight and a quarter acres. He also, purchased another forty-five acres for $9,000 on the easterly side of Pleasant Street. Thomas Ward spent over $40,000 beautifying his estate. He built a greenhouse, grape arbor and planted forest and fruit trees as well as shade trees along Pleasant Street. Much of the existing landscaping and large trees were probably the doing of Ward. He was wealthy and the American agent for an English banking house. He also owned three other homes in Boston. Thomas Hona Ward died early in 1858, leaving his wife, Lydia, and four children. He was interred at Mount Auburn Cemetery.) In March 1876 Ward's estate sold the property to Colonel George Higginson. He paid $16,750 for the thirty-eight and a quarter acres. On the same day he also purchased for $1.00, the two and a quarter acres comprising what is now the parcel at 55 Pleasant Street. Higginson's gardener resided in the Red House. On May 18, 1885, title passed to Charles N. Draper for the sum of $1.00. The reason for this low price, was that Charles Draper assumed two mortgages that Higginson had on the property. It was during Charles Draper's ownership that Pequitside acquired its name. Charles in previous years acquired other surrounding parcels. By September 1890, the farm had reached ninety-five acres in size. Charles Norris Draper was the son of Thomas, who was born in England in 1808 and came to Canton around 1851. Thomas also had a younger brother, James, who also arrived in town. After the death of Thomas in 1856, Charles Draper and Charles French operated two knitting mills in town. Seven years http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003 Canton Mass. Historical Society, Canton Bicentennial Book, Chapter 1 Page 29 of 30 later, Charles and Matthew Townsend formed the partnership of Draper and Townsend. In 1864, Charles purchased part of the Billing's Farm at Washington and Dedham Streets. Then a year later, he incorporated his mills as the Canton Woolen Mills. In 1869, the Canton Woolen Mills failed and were sold at auction to James Draper and Charles Sumner. In 1870, Charles built the Springdale Mill on Pleasant Street, where the Creekside Condominiums are today. In October 1888, through a taking of the Canton Board of Water Commissioners, Charles lost part of his Springdale Mill parcel. The original Water Works structure still exists today on the south side of Pine Street at the railroad crossing. The main barn at the rear of Pequitside was completed by Charles N. Draper in July of 1893. The weather vane bears the initials C.N.D. and was originally plated with gold leaf. Charles N. Draper died on July 1, 1903, leaving his wife Martha (Gill) Draper and sons Joseph, John, Paul and James. Martha Draper in her younger days was a great friend to Martha (Crafts) Howard, sometimes referred to as "Patty" Howard, widow of Reverend Zachariah Howard. Martha Draper, at some point acquired Mrs. Howard's "Mourning Ring", which contained a lock of Rev. Howard's hair. It would be nice to see this artifact donated to the Historical Society. The property was now under a trusteeship of the Martha and son Joseph until August 1915, when it was sold to John H. Draper for $6,000. In October 1919, Joseph and John Draper, as joint tenants, purchased the parcel at 10 Sumner Street, and built the house that still stands today. This property is at the rear of the main barn at Pequitside. In October 1923, Pequitside and the Sumner Street lot were transferred to Paul and Marjorie Draper. In the following years, parcels were sold off, and the farm went from ninety-five acres to its present thirty-four +/- acres. The SO called "Tavern" building was probably built in the 1870's. This structure was where the gardener kept his supplies, this was also the laundry. In the 1920's, Paul Draper remodeled the tavern building as well as most of the main house. As well as being a partner in the Draper Brothers Company, Paul also had half interest in the Stockton Wool Company, a limited partnership of Bradco Oil and Gas Company. He also had one-sixteenth interest in a Texas oil well. Paul A. Draper passed away on July 24, 1969, leaving his wife Marjorie and two children, Phyllis and Donald. Marjorie Draper passed away on April 6, 1970. On June 15, 1971, the Town of Canton purchased Pequitside Farm from the Estate of Marjorie Draper. The town received matching grants from the Federal and State governments to acquire the property for $260,000. Today, Pequitside Farm is managed by the Canton Conservation Commission and most of the programs and events held there are under the direction of the Recreation Department. Home Mail Next CREATED&MANAGED WITH Middlef! FrontPage http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/1496/book/bibook1.htm 8/20/2003