Historian Town & Village Canton NY

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Historian Town & Village Canton NY Canton NY Historical collection of photos, documents, diaries, map, and many resource materials for genealogical research.

The Historian's page is a way to put the many, many photos from glass plate negatives to the hundreds of negatives that have now been digitalized by local native Dennis Barr. He has spent hours scanning and enhancing many of these photos. Also I would like to open up the communication with all who live in the north county and across the nation that still remember the "good old" days in Canton. I will be posting all the weekly unidentified photos that go in the Plaindealer and the correct identifications that the readers call back on the numbered photos. I would appreciate feed back to help make this a very useful, informative page on Canton's rich history.

10/05/2026

Tuesday, Oct. 6 - Delayed Opening - The Canton Historian's Office will open at 1:00 PM. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Happy 165th Birthday, Fred! Famous western artist Frederic Re*****on was born here in Canton on October 4, 1861 at his p...
10/04/2026

Happy 165th Birthday, Fred! Famous western artist Frederic Re*****on was born here in Canton on October 4, 1861 at his paternal grandparent's home on Court Street. Eleven-year-old Frederic (in the center) was the "mascot" for Canton's Engine Company No. 1 and marched with them in the 1872 July Fourth Parade. His father, Civil War hero Seth "Pierre" Re*****on, helped found the St. Lawrence Fire Department after the 1869/1870 fires mentioned in the previous post. The offices of the Plaindealer newspaper, which he ran, were lost in both fires. The fire fighters surrounding Fred are: William McLeod, Philip S. W. Judd, Johnny Barber, and Ogden Packard. Also pictured is the key to the first fire house.

The first of two devastating fires on Canton’s Main Street started here, on the Union Block, in August 1869. The Union B...
09/23/2026

The first of two devastating fires on Canton’s Main Street started here, on the Union Block, in August 1869. The Union Block starts at the corner of Main St. and Riverside Dr. (then known as Water St.). The fire destroyed the entire block up to Hodskin St. One year later, in August of 1870, a second fire picked up where the last ended and burned the remainder of the buildings past Hodskin. Main Street was rebuilt with brick buildings replacing the formerly wooden structures.

An 1898 photo of Sherman H. Nickerson’s farm house on the Canton-Russell Rd.
09/09/2026

An 1898 photo of Sherman H. Nickerson’s farm house on the Canton-Russell Rd.

Two aerial views of Canton seen almost 90 years apart. The black and white photo is from the National Archives taken in ...
08/26/2026

Two aerial views of Canton seen almost 90 years apart. The black and white photo is from the National Archives taken in 1935. The color picture is the most up-to-date satellite image on Google Earth and was captured in 2023. What differences do you see?

James Donihee standing in front of his meat market on the south side of Canton's Main Street. This was most likely taken...
08/19/2026

James Donihee standing in front of his meat market on the south side of Canton's Main Street. This was most likely taken in the early 1900s. The Donihee and Baker block was destroyed by fire in 1974. It is the current location of Jrecks Subs.

A fantastic panoramic view of Canton’s Main Street from the park. The American House on left is now the location of the ...
08/13/2026

A fantastic panoramic view of Canton’s Main Street from the park. The American House on left is now the location of the Post Office. It was torn down in 1916.

08/10/2026

On National Purple Heart Day, we recognize the service and sacrifice of every Purple Heart recipient. Your courage is what strengthens our Nation. Thank you.

I love this photo, but I don’t have much information about it. It was taken in the Hotel Harrington and printed by Dwigh...
08/04/2026

I love this photo, but I don’t have much information about it. It was taken in the Hotel Harrington and printed by Dwight P. Church’s $5 Photo Company. There is some truly haunting motion blur in the details that give it a beautiful but unsettling feeling. Does anyone recognize this print or anyone in the photo?

Look at those colors! Ralph’s Restaurant was on the corner of Main and Court Street, Canton. The Sugar Bowl was in this ...
06/17/2026

Look at those colors! Ralph’s Restaurant was on the corner of Main and Court Street, Canton. The Sugar Bowl was in this spot before Ralph’s.

Address

7 Main Street The Old Kaplan Building
Canton, NY
13617

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 1pm - 6pm

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