Canton dates to 1805, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 91% of U.S. towns · #243 of 758 in New York. What drives it
10 places in town are on the National Register, among them three historic districts with 68 buildings between them. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1820.
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1807.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 91% of U.S. towns, #243 of 758 in New York. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its share of homes from before 1940 ranks highest and its age lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Canton’s overall grade.
New York towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical New York town has 12.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Canton’s 64.1 sits above most of its state (71% of New York towns have fewer) while its 74 historic buildings outnumber those of 87% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.0 points). Two sources give 1805.
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 Canton’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Lost post offices, old corners, places now gone and burying grounds
Canton’s post office has been open since 1807. Four other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.
Canton
1807–today
Eastville
1829–1831
Long Rapids
1839–1839
Morley
1839–1962
Rensselaer Falls
1851–today
Pyrites
1894–today
Eddy
1900–1911
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Boyden Brook Mobile Home ParkClark's Trailer ParkCountry Meadows Trailer ParkEddyMorleyPyritesRensselaer Falls
Gone or out of use
Crane Memorial Presbyterian ChapelchurchIdeal Drive-InlocalePyrites Union Free SchoolschoolSaint Lawrence County HomebuildingSaint Mary's SchoolschoolSchool Number 17schoolSchool Number 17schoolSchool Number 20schoolSchool Number 21schoolSchool Number 5school
Humans have been present in this region of New York since the Paleo-Indian period which is from about 15,000 to 7,000 BC. Iroquoian peoples arrived between 1,200 and 4,000 years ago, and both the Mohawk and the Oneida consider the Adirondacks to be part of their territory. When white settlers began to arrive, the area was part of the Mohawk Nation, which was part of the Iroquois Confederacy. The Mohawks are known as Kanienkehaka, or "the people of the flint," and they were considered the keepers of the Eastern door for this edge of Haudenosaunee territory. The first settler arrived in 1800. The town was organized/incorporated on May 14, 1805, from part of the town of Lisbon. The name Canton was supposedly selected due to contemporary interests in the China trade. Canton was one of the original ten towns of the county. In 1845, the community of Canton was incorporated as a village with …
Passages that mention Canton, cut from the printed page as they were published.
Genealogical history, with short sketches and family records, of the early settlers of West Simsbury, now Canton Conn.1856 · page 19Read the page →
Read the text
Mercy, wife of Ephraim Buel, and Sarah, wife of John Case, 4th. Her sons settled on Cherries Bi'ook, on lands contiguous to each other, comprising the meadows and best lands in the center school district in Canton. The family were noted for their habits of immigration and are to be found in various states of the Union ; few of the descendants (although numerous) are to be met with in the town of Canton.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Genealogical history, with short sketches and family records, of the early settlers of West Simsbury, now Canton Conn.1856 · page 60Read the page →
Read the text
He first located, as a physician, in the town of Farmington, now Avon, about the year 1782. In 1796, he removed to West Simsbury, now Canton, where he resided the remainder of his life. As a citizen, of the town of Canton, he hardly had his rival. He was a member of the convention who formed the constitution of the state of Connecticut in 1818, several years judge of probate for the district of Simsbury, representative in the General Assembly of
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Canton, 1805 to 1997
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Canton. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1910Canton 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 Canton.
Every building
Canton, building by building, 1884–1913
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.
In 1805, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Canton’s post office opened in 1807, and the census of 1820 counted 1,337 people here.
How does Canton rank for history?
Canton is more historic than 91% of U.S. towns, #243 of 758 in New York. 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?
10 listings: 7 buildings, among them the Herring-Cole Hall, St. Lawrence University (listed 1974, the first), and 3 historic districts, the Village Park Historic District, the St. Lawrence University-Old Campus Historic District and the St. Lawrence County Government Complex, with 68 contributing buildings. 74 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Canton?
27% of Canton’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.0 points), against a typical 27% for a New York town; the median home was built in 1972.
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 the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (10), 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, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1908
