Canton’s post office opened in 1834, and 9 of its places are on the National Register
More historic than 77% of U.S. towns · #19 of 100 in Mississippi. What drives it
Most of Canton was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1980. 9 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 225 buildings between them. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1887 on, and the census since 1870.
The Canton post office opened in 1834, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Turnetta (1892), opened inside today’s city and later closed.
First census: 1,963 in 18702020 census: 10,948192 years
How historic is Canton?
A−
More historic than 77% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Canton post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Canton’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Canton is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #19 of 100 in Mississippi. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Canton’s overall grade.
Mississippi towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Mississippi town has 71.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Canton’s 214 sits above most of its state (76% of Mississippi towns have fewer) while its 231 historic buildings outnumber those of 94% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.7 points) is firm at this size. The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (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 Canton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Before 1820, the area of Madison County, Mississippi was Choctaw territory. With the 1820 Treaty of Doak's Stand the land became the property of the United States Government. However, this treaty caused dissent at the Western borders of Arkansas, where the displaced Choctaw people began to settle, and in 1830 the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit resolved the matter.
Although not a major battle site during the Civil War, Canton was important as a rail and logistics center, and was twice invaded by Unionists. Many wounded soldiers were treated in or transported through the city, and as a consequence it has a large Confederate cemetery.
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.
The Canton post office opened in 1834, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Canton rank for history?
Canton is more historic than 77% of U.S. towns, #19 of 100 in Mississippi. 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 Canton?
9 listings: 6 buildings, among them the Madison County Jail (listed 1979, the first), 2 historic districts, the Canton Courthouse Square Historic District and the East Canton Historic District, with 225 contributing buildings, and 1 site. 231 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Canton?
7% of Canton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.7 points), against a typical 4.5% for a Mississippi town; the median home was built in 1980.
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), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (9), 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), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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