Tuesday, January 18, 2011
A profile of a local historian who discovered history in his own home.
If walls could only talk, oh, the stories they would tell. Hidden well inside the walls in the Canton home of Jim Roache, there was quite a bit of history. It was that discovery which would also stir a quest for knowledge in Roache, leading him to uncover an even more interesting history about the town he called home. Roache, a curator at the Canton Historical Society, was born in 1952. "I was born in Canton," said Roache. "My father was born in Canton. His father was born in Canton. He had a big family in town." Roache said he never really traced his family roots but believed his ancestors originally emigrated from Ireland and settled in town. "I always liked history in school," said Roache. "But a lot of my interest has to do with the …
42.173299
-71.137114
Canton Historical Society
1400 Washington St, Canton, MA
/articles/if-canton-walls-could-talk
1812214
/locations/3091547
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
How an old homestead in Canton made history.
In Canton, near the Milton border on Route 138 at the foot of the Great Blue Hills, there once stood a tavern that told the story of America's beginnings. Doty's Tavern played a vital role in the drafting of the Suffolk Resolves—the precursor of the Declaration of Independence. Historians describe the old homestead as a place were America's early revolutionaries met on the morning of August 16, 1774—out of sight of the British—to hash out their plans to free the country from the British government. General Joseph Warren drafted the Resolves and the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia passed them the following month. Doty's Tavern was named after its owner Col. Thomas Doty. According to historical documents at the Canton Historical …
42.173299
-71.137114
1400 Washington St, Canton, MA
/articles/a-look-at-dotys-tavern
/locations/2643702
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Discovering the fascinating history behind Canton's most prominent landmark.
Like many people, I have passed through the Canton Viaduct several times, admiring a gorgeous vista of its multiple stone arches from my rear-view without ever really knowing its full history. Shame on me. That is until I decided to stop, park my car and take it all in. And I'm so glad I did. As I researched more about this marvelous bridge, I know why Wallace Gibbs, the president of the Canton Historical Society, calls it "fascinating." At 615 feet long, 70 feet high and 22 feet wide, it towers over the Canton River like an old city wall. The Canton Viaduct is unarguably Canton's most prominent landmark. Perhaps it's best described by the famous Boston engraver E.W. Bouvé who is quoted on his 1850 lithograph of the viaduct as saying, "…
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Retracing Revere's steps through our town.
American Revolutionary hero Paul Revere is probably best known for his "Midnight Ride," in April 1775, during which he rode through several towns in Middlesex county-- just northwest of Boston--on horseback, warning American patriots, "The British are coming! The British are coming!" Now what Revere actually said during that fateful ride before the battles of Lexington and Concord has been subject to debate. But one thing about Revere that is indisputable: Canton is full of Revere history. "Revere was very fond of Canton and very fond of the people here," one local historian, George T. Comeau, who is also a curator for the Canton Historical Society, said. Born and raised in Canton, Comeau said he has been fascinated with Revere since …
42.173299
-71.137114
1400 Washington St, Canton, MA
/articles/paul-reveres-canton
/locations/2455501
