Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Canterbury

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
AHistory
History · Canterbury

Canterbury dates to 1703, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 89% of U.S. towns · #50 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it

7 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Prudence Crandall House, a National Historic Landmark, and three historic districts with 50 buildings between them. Below: 12 old photos and papers, maps from 1889 on, and the census since 1820.

1703founded
7on the National Register
16%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
12famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Canterbury’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Canterbury began

When was Canterbury founded?

1703

Canterbury dates its founding to 1703 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1820.

First census: 1,984 in 1820323 years

How historic is Canterbury?

A

More historic than 89% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1802.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Canterbury’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Canterbury is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #50 of 155 in Connecticut. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Canterbury’s overall grade.
Founding era1703, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194015.8% of homes (±6.5) · typical CT town 15.1% · U.S. 8.4%BNational Register7 listings, 53 historic buildings, 103 per 10,000 residents · typical CT town 73.3 · U.S. 2.4B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 89%
NewerOlder
Connecticut towns of 2,500+ (155)Ahead of 68%

Connecticut towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Connecticut town has 73.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Canterbury’s 103 sits near the middle of its state (57% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 53 historic buildings outnumber those of 85% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1703.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.5 points).

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Canterbury’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1820 and 1910, then grew 5-fold.Lost villages4 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Canterbury, and 2 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 18897 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1983. Watch Canterbury change.A historic districtThe Canterbury Center Historic District takes in 50 historic buildings.
★ What stands out · People over time

Canterbury, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,50018501900195020001,984 in 1820Low: 868

Lost half of its people between 1820 and 1910, then grew 5-fold.

19 censuses, 1820–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Canterbury’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Canterbury had its own post office from 1802 to 1913. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Canterbury
1802–1913
Westminster
1829–1905
Packerville
1835–1911
South Canterbury
1872–1916
Packer
1911–1954
Canterbury
1916–today
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
PackerWestminster
11cemeteries and burying grounds inside Canterbury
BaldwinBennettBradfordCareyCenterHydeParkPlainsRaymondWestminsterWheeler

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

On the map

Canterbury on the map, 1889 to 1983

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Canterbury. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Canterbury on the 1889 USGS mapCanterbury on the 1893 USGS mapCanterbury on the 1920 USGS mapCanterbury on the 1943 USGS mapCanterbury on the 1953 USGS mapCanterbury on the 1970 USGS mapCanterbury on the 1983 USGS map1889Moosup sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Canterbury.

The story

How Canterbury came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Canterbury.

Read it all →

The area was settled by English colonists in the 1680s as Peagscomsuck. It consisted mainly of land north of Norwich, south of New Roxbury, Massachusetts (now Woodstock, Connecticut), and west of the Quinebaug River, Peagscomsuck Island, and the Plainfield Settlement. In 1703 this section was officially separated from Plainfield and named The Town of Canterbury. The town's namesake is Canterbury, England.

ChaptersPrudence Crandall's School (1831–1834)

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Canterbury, 1703 to 2010

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1703
    FoundingCanterbury is established
  3. 1754Born hereMoses Cleaveland is born here
  4. 1761Born hereMason Fitch Cogswell is born here
  5. 1799Born hereChauncey Fitch Cleveland is born here
  6. 19th century
  7. 1802Post officeThe Canterbury post office opens
  8. 1810In the archive1810 ThanksgivingBall
  9. 1829Post officeThe Westminster post office opens
  10. 1831Born hereHorace Austin is born here
  11. 1834In the archivePrudence Crandall, portrait by Francis Alexander
  12. 1835Post officeThe Packerville post office opens
  13. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  14. 20th century
  15. 1905Post officeThe Westminster post office closes
  16. 1911Post officeThe Packerville post office closes
  17. 1913Post officeThe Canterbury post office closes
  18. 1940In the archiveIn the home of Steve Dino, Italian FSA client near Canterbury, Connecticut, 8c28650
  19. 1991LandmarkPrudence Crandall House named a National Historic Landmark
  20. 21st century
  21. 2010CensusPopulation peaks at 5,132
By decade

Canterbury, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1810s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1810s–1830s2 items
1810 ThanksgivingBall18101810 ThanksgivingBallDocumentPrudence Crandall, portrait by Francis Alexander1834Prudence Crandall, portrait by Francis AlexanderDocument
1940s10 items
In the home of Steve Dino, Italian FSA client near Canterbury, Connecticut, 8c286501940In the home of Steve Dino, Italian FSA client near Ca…In the home of Steve Dino, Italian FSA client near Canterbury, Connecticut, 8c286501940In the home of Steve Dino, Italian FSA client near Ca…Mr. August Udal, Finnish [Estonian] poultry farmer1940Mr. August Udal, Finnish [Estonian] poultry farmerSteve Dino, Italian FSA (Farm Security Administration) client near Canterbury, Connecticut1940Steve Dino, Italian FSA (Farm Security Administration…Mr. and Mrs. August Udal, Finnish [Estonian] FSA (Farm Security Administration) clients. They have a poultry farm1940Mr. and Mrs. August Udal, Finnish [Estonian] FSA (Far…Some of the two thousand poulets on the poultry farm of Mr. August Udal, Finnish [Estonian] FSA (Farm Security Administ…1940Some of the two thousand poulets on the poultry farm …Some of the two thousand poulets on the poultry farm of Mr. August Udal, Finnish [Estonian] FSA (Farm Security Administ…1940Some of the two thousand poulets on the poultry farm …Some of the two thousand poulets on the poultry farm of Mr. August Udal, Finnish [Estonian] FSA (Farm Security Administ…1940Some of the two thousand poulets on the poultry farm …Some of the two thousand poulets on the poultry farm of Mr. August Udal, Finnish [Estonian] FSA (Farm Security Administ…1940Some of the two thousand poulets on the poultry farm …Some of the two thousand poulets on the poultry farm of Mr. August Udal, Finnish [Estonian] FSA (Farm Security Administ…1940Some of the two thousand poulets on the poultry farm …
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

In the home of Steve Dino, Italian FSA client near Canterbury, Connecticut, 8c28650
Retake this viewIn the home of Steve Dino, Italian FSA client near Canterbury, Connecticut, 8c28650, 1940

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Canterbury’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

7 listings protect 53 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. One is a National Historic Landmark, the highest tier.

places listed
7
National Historic Landmark
1
Prudence Crandall House
historic buildings protected
53
each building in a district counts
first listed
1970
Capt. John Clark House
Capt. John Clark HouseJonathan Wheeler HouseCanterbury Center Historic DistrictQuinebaug River Prehistoric Archeological DistrictButts BridgeMarch Route of Rochambeau's Army: Manship Road-Barstow RoadPrudence Crandall House★
BuildingsDistrictsStructures★ landmark

Architectural styles listings

Georgian2
Canterbury Type1
Colonial1
Federal1
Vernacular1
Parker through Truss1
★ Landmark
Prudence Crandall HouseCanterbury Type
Capt. John Clark HouseGeorgian
Jonathan Wheeler HouseGeorgian
Canterbury Center Historic DistrictColonial
Quinebaug River Prehistoric Archeological DistrictDistrict
Butts BridgeParker through Truss
All 7 listings
March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Manship Road-Barstow RoadDistrict · listed 2003

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

12 famous people were born in Canterbury

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Chauncey Fitch ClevelandAmerican politician · b. 1799
Mason Fitch CogswellAmerican physician · b. 1761
Horace AustinAmerican politician · b. 1831
Moses CleavelandFounder of Cleaveland (Cleveland), Ohio · b. 1754
William D. WilliamsonAmerican politician · b. 1779
J
John BaconAmerican politician, Massachusetts · b. 1738
Help out

Finish Canterbury’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewIn the home of Steve Dino, Italian FSA …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Plainfield11 historic placesA+Scotland3 historic placesA−Wauregan1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHampton1 historic placeABrooklyn6 historic placesA

Questions about Canterbury’s history

What year was Canterbury founded?

In 1703, according to Wikidata. Canterbury’s post office opened in 1802, and the census of 1820 counted 1,984 people here.

How does Canterbury rank for history?

Canterbury is more historic than 89% of U.S. towns, #50 of 155 in Connecticut. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Canterbury?

7 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Prudence Crandall House (a National Historic Landmark since 1991) and the Capt. John Clark House (listed 1970, the first), 3 historic districts, the Canterbury Center Historic District, the Quinebaug River Prehistoric Archeological District and the March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Manship Road-Barstow Road, with 50 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 53 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Canterbury?

16% of Canterbury’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.5 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1975.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (4), the Library of Congress (8), the National Register of Historic Places (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.