Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Young historians breathe new life into Canton history.
Name: CmPS Team Revere’s Riders, Grade 5 School: JFK Elementary Key to Awesomeness: Powerfully "Trailing into Canton's Past" Accomplishments: This Sunday, May 15, Theo Bollenbach, Ben Cohen, Bryan Healey and Aidas Jakubenas are “Trailing into Canton’s Past.” The creative historical tour is their latest project in their powerful mission to preserve and honor Canton’s history. Melissa Healey said the event was inspired by”The Amazing Race” television show. The boys' historical tour of Canton is somewhat of a scavenger hunt. Visit sites like the Viaduct and Blue Hill Observatory to answer questions in the boys’ booklet. The four were bothered enough by the idea of Canton’s historical sights disappearing to form Revere’s Riders; JFK’s fifth …
42.176107
-71.141329
John F. Kennedy Elementary School
100 Dedham St, Canton, MA
/articles/canton-whiz-kid-team-reveres-riders-grade-5
1805010
/locations/4311102
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, January 11, 2011
A look at the early history (and cost) of streetlights in town.
The next time you stop under a streetlight at night on some road in Massachusetts, take a moment to ponder this: what would life be like without them? Streetlights or lampposts are so ubiquitous nowadays that we fail to even fathom a time when they did not light our way along a dark passageway or road. But this begs a larger question that Jim Roache, a curator at the Canton Historical Society, first asked himself before he started to delve into an extensive research project on the history of streetlights in the town. Today, Roache said, "Every car we drive has lights on it today. But do we really need street lights?" Over the years, public officials in cities and towns across the country have argued for the presence and continued expansion…
42.158949
-71.144928
Canton Town Hall
801 Washington St, Canton, MA
/articles/lighting-up-canton
810900
/locations/3017516
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
One woman's quest to document all of Canton's historic homes.
Patricia Johnson may have a high-powered career during the day writing code for financial managers and traders at Fidelity, but in her free time, she's documenting historical homes in Canton. "It's my passion," Johnson, who is also a curator at the Canton Historical Society, said. These days, Johnson spends most weekends poring over the pages of the Canton Journal. This past rainy Sunday, it's a date from the 1932 edition. Johnson explained that searching through old newspapers is the only way she'll find the stories behind dozens of homes she is reaching for a third volume in what she anticipates will be a 10-volume set of books called "Historic Homes of Canton," which could take years to complete. But she said it's hard not to get …
42.173299
-71.137114
1400 Washington St, Canton, MA
/articles/researching-historic-homes-of-canton
/locations/2729326
Steve Shepard
8:45 am on Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Every car has headlights...yes, but everyone in Canton does not drive (although it sometimes seems like they do). There are children, bicyclists, and those who just like to walk at night for exercise. Our streets and sidewalks are not the optimal condition and then there is the fear increased crime, ie muggings, under the cover of darkness. People were living for 200 yrs w/out streetlights...yes… more ›