Turning off Lewis street on to Washington street is a drivers nightmare, the blind curve on Morse’s hill, the down hill grade and the sudden approach of Lewis street has been the cause of several hydrants and stone wall accidents. However, I remember it in 1920 when there were very few automobiles. Charlotte Endicott Wilde and her sister Helen would speed down the hill at six miles an hour in their battery driven car with a tiller steering bar.

Joe Porter, Charlie Bolster and Frannie Galvin made a double runner that held eight people. In the winter Paul and Roger Galvin, Charlie Ford, Ernie Verity, Len Abramowitz, and I were treated, on occasion to a ride. Starting at the Morse mansion gate we would slide without interruption to the railroad tracks on Washington street. There was a price. We had to help drag the heavy home made sled back up the never ending hill.

Today I stopped for traffic and remembered the houses and the people that I used to pass on my way to the Crane School in the center of the town. The McManus family lived on the hill across from the Morse gate. Beal street separated their property from the Verity house. Ernie, Arnold and Ethel were members of our street gang. Across from their house was the home of Florence and Adelaide Billings. Both these ladies were school teachers. On the west side of Washington street a stone wall framed the field and house of Miss Louise Allen. Her house had a big verandah close to the sidewalk where everyone ran for shelter when it rained. Endicott street separated her house from the home of Mr. Raymond Byam. His daughter, Alice lived at home. There was a great barn on the property and Mr. Byam had a pool room on the second floor. It was fitted out with all the equipment. In 1927 the Cuttle family lived there and they let us neighborhood kids use it as a club house. We all learned to play pool there. The club members were Jack and Wilfred Hinchliffe, Len Abramowitz, Al D’Attanasio, Peter Patriarca, Johnny Griffin , Albert Callahan and I. Both Griffin and Callahan were killed in World War II. Dr. Murphy, Dr. Lynch and Dr. Hugh McLaughlin lived in the next house.

Next to the Billings on the east side of the street was a large wooden mansion where Elijah Morse and his family lived before he built the red brick mansion about 1887. This wooden mansion was a show place with clipped shrubs, fruit trees, and formal gardens. An iron fence surrounded the property. The entrance to the Morse Rising Sun Stove Polish Company was next to the house. After the Morse family moved to the mansion the property was rented. The Roger Holmes family , the Fred Powers family, and the John Farrell family lived there at one time. In 1927 the Tobe Deutschmann Corp., moved into the Morse factory buildings. The wooden mansion was torn down and the grounds were used to store supplies.

Two big granite posts marked the entrance to the factory. Next to the posts there was a little white farm house where Miss Willis, a dressmaker lived. Mr. Walter Dennis and his family moved in and carried on a farm and milk business. There was an old cow barn on the property and we used to sneak up to the loft and jump down into the hay. No one saw us but the cows. The Dennis house and barn have been torn down and today there is a new duplex house in its place. The Shattuck family lived next to the Dennis farm. Mr. Shattuck was a Civil War veteran. His daughter, Lillian, was a noted violinist. She operated a music studio in Back Bay Boston. She crossed the Atlantic forty four times in her lifetime. Every summer she played at the Salzburg and Vienna music festivals. As a boy I remember the Sunday afternoon musicals. Many of Boston’s musical celebrities attended. Mr. Albert Spalding, famed violinist attended during the break many were seen on the front lawn talking and smoking. After the break they would all go back to Brahms, Beethoven and Bach. The best part of this was the next day when Mary Flaherty, Miss Shattuck’s cook and maid would be waiting for us to come home from school. She would have paper plates filled with all sort of goodies left over. Needless to say we never stole apples or pears from Miss Shattuck.

Across from Miss Shattuck on the west side was the Bent Victorian mansion. Nathaniel and Elijah Bent were part of Canton’s early history. Miss Nathalia Bent lived here. Today all her property is owned by the Schlossberg & Solomon Memorial Chapel. The Trinity Church was the previous owner. Rev. John de Vries was the minister. Chapel street divided the property and Mr. William Thurston, janitor for the town hall lived here and later Owen Galligan and family lived here before Dr. Nicholas Rockoff established his dentist office. On the same side, abutting Dr. Rockoff, was a large white house with a porch, Jessie Hunt and family lived here. Dr. Luce had his office here before he moved up town. This house was moved to Sherman street. The New England Telephone Exchange replaced the house. Telephone technology took over and the building was sold. It is presently a doctors and professional building.

Back on the east side of the street and abutting the Shattuck property was a white house owned by the Endicott family. Mr. and Mrs. Babcock and sons Scott, Richard and Robert lived here. We played in the field that separated this property from the Town Hall. The house was torn down and the Telephone Company and the Canton housing authority have taken its place.

The Town Hall was next in line. The property was given to the town by Elijah Morse. A civil war statue stood in front of the hall and a large white honor roll stood on the lawn. Sherman and Washington streets intersected here. There were no traffic lights.

Charlie Cushman’s white house and cow barn was on the east side. Charlie had a wooden snow plow and he plowed the sidewalks for the town in all winter conditions. Later part of the Cushman land was sold to Victor and Bill Pozzo where they built the Canton Public Market. Aside of the store was the white cottage of Miss Sarah Coombs. She was the organist for the Congregational church. Adjoining Miss Coombs’ house was a rocky steep hill that was believed to have been a quarry at one time. It was overgrown with bushes and small trees. This land was purchased by the Reynolds Brothers Co., who converted this waste land into the attractive Althea apartments.

At the bottom of Savin Hill there was a small house where the Crowley family lived, and later Mrs. Rose and her daughter, Ella lived there. This house was later moved to Cotter street.

Across from Miss Coombs’ house was the venerable Canton Public Library a gift to the town from Mr. Agustus Hemenway, philanthropist and benefactor. Mr. Hemenway gave many other gifts to the town. The library was a mecca for school children. All school children made excuses to their parents about the absolute necessity to look up school work after supper. A strong promise to be home when the three blasts from the "ten minutes of nine" curfew blew. Mothers and fathers also visited the library in the evening. Fashion magazines, Popular Mechanics and National Geographic were in great demand. Back on the south side of Savin Hill was another small house. The Cornell family lived here later John Haverty moved in. Next to this house was the J. B. Robinson & Company store and next to that was the Reynolds home. Alice, Mary and Edward lived here. Mary was the secretary at the Deane and Reynolds Coal Co., Alice was a teacher in the Boston schools and when she retired she devoted many hours indexing Huntoon’s History of Canton, which she published in April 1975 under the title Who Was Who and What Was What in the History of Canton. She presented the original copy to the Historical Society.

The J. B. Robinson store was later the original site of the Pozzo Meat Market. When Pozzo moved to his new location, the building was taken over by the school system and used for children with special needs. This caused much trouble and it was later canceled. Center street divided the Reynolds property from the Jewish Synagogue Temple Beth Abraham. This land ran down to the railroad tracks. At this time, 1924, there were about twenty Jewish families attending the temple. In 1965 a new temple was built at 1301 Washington street to service the increased growth. The old temple was demolished,. and the Dineen Texaco gas station is occupying the land.

Next to the library was a big house owned by Dr. Holmes and later by Dr. Tenney, Constance , Marion and Rosamond were his daughters. This house is now occupied by Dr. Lowney. Maple Street separated this property from Dr. Herbert Rice. He had three daughters, Frances, Geraldine and Shirley. There was a field separating this house from Mrs. Poole and her daughter, Elsie, who taught piano lessons here. This house had a secret stairway that led to a room over the porch where slaves were hidden during the era of the underground railroad. The house was next to the railroad tracks. The tracks separated the residential area from the business section. The south side of the tracks started with numbers 719.

There was a very small shack at the side of the tracks used by the railroad gate tender. It contained a pot bellied stove, a bench and a chair. Mr. Drummey was the gate tender. On both sides of the tracks there were poles with signs that read Stop, Look and Listen. Mr. Drummey had to crank the gates down and he held a sign that read Cross Crossings Cautiously. Next to the tracks a one story building housed the Reynolds Coal Company. Mary Reynolds was the secretary and Helen Kelleher was her assistant. The E. E. Gray grocery store was next door. Leonard O’Brien was the manager. George Mark’s store was next to this. It was a variety store selling penny candy, pulp magazines, novelties and newspapers. Returning from school in the afternoon we waited for the newspaper. Two cents for the Boston Globe. George was very lenient with noisy kids. Behind Mark’s store was the old Grimes livery stable and blacksmith shop. We always stopped in to watch the blacksmith making horse shoes. Hot steam and red hot iron and pungent smell of the shop made it a wondrous place. The blacksmith was a kindly man and he always asked what we learned in school today. He would say study your books or you will be doing what I am doing. He made rings for us out of horseshoe nails.

Verity’s Hardware store was next. It became the Dunlop Tire store and George Doody was the manager. A big business block owned by the Pesaturo family was next. There was a Chinese laundry, Brown’s Lunch room and Joe Morro’ meat market in the building. Joe always gave us kids a half raw frankfurter if his store wasn’t too crowded. We liked Joe. Marino’s barber shop and Pesaturo’s fruit store was next. This store caught on fire when Eddie Pesaturo was a very young boy. The firemen rescued him from the blaze. The Canton center railroad office was across from the Deane and Reynolds Coal Company. This was a very popular station. Large windows looked out on to Washington Street. The waiting room was heated by a pot bellied stove. Parents walked to the stores to do their errands and used the station as a resting and meeting place. There were many trains using the double tracks to Stoughton. Mr. Ellery Sadler was in charge of the ticket office. The Norfolk County Trust Bank was in the same area. Mr. Herbert Landick was the manager and Roy Brown was the head teller. Years later this bank was robbed and the personnel were backed into the vault at gun point. Mrs. Ethel Verity Milligan was one of them and she was the star witness at the trial held in Dedham court. St. John’s church was next to the bank. This church was built in 1861 and remained a lovely New England church with a steeple until it became to expensive and difficult to maintain. There were many church burnings in the early sixties. Increased insurance rates and the age of the structure plus the increasing parish made it necessary to rebuild St. John’s. The corner stone was dedicated in 1964. Adjoining the church property was the Canton High School, a gift to the town from Mr. Augustus Hemenway. The class of 1912 was the first to graduate from the new school. The campus ended at the corner of Revere street. On the east side across from the school was another business block owned by the Foley family of Norwood. Ernest Verity Triangle Shoe Store was in this block as well as the A & P grocery store. Tom McGuiggan was the manager. Mike Caradonna’s barber shop was in the end of this block. Ames Avenue divided this property from the home of Judge Gregory Grover. This was a Victorian mansion with stained glass windows and an iron fence surrounding the property. The house was moved in the late seventies to make way for the new Canton CoOperative Bank. The house was moved up Washington street to the lot between the library and the Tenney house, where it stands today.

Aside of the Grover house was the cement block building of the Central Garage. It was owned by George O’Connell and William Saughnessy It was built on the site of the old Canton Catholic Club and today it is the home of the Canton Post Office.. The Canton Diner was next to the garage. Jack Cahill was the cook. It was a very popular eating place. Genial Jack and his cigar never turned anyone away. In fact Roger Galvin and I earned enough money doing errands to go in the diner and order apple pie and a glass of milk. This was a big moment for us. We went through the sliding door and Jack said, "What are you two men going to have." Not only was the pie and the ambiance great but also the sudden elevation to manhood and a refund of five cents each because as Jack said we came in before the noon rush. Two eight year old MEN strutted home. Louis Caplan took over the diner in later years. Berkal’s Tailor Shop was next. Now the Apollo Sub Shop is there. The Yorkshire Mills was next to Berkal’s. They took over the old Kinsley Iron axle shop. There was a saw mill in back of the mill and a water way under these buildings met with water from the dam. Some time ago in the forties the town widened Washington street and the waterway was filled in. It is now the parking lot in front of Lasden Electric Co. Next to the Yorkshire Mills there were two small buildings. One was Joe Ammendolia’s Barber shop and the other a radio sales and repair shop run by John Lynch. These two buildings were moved to the open area next to Berkal’s Tailor Shop. On the west side of Washington street across from Yorkshire Mills there was a vacant lot which was turned into a gas station and next to that was the Sydman block. The Canton Orpheum was in this building. It was a very popular place. The best in silent movies and serials. The applause was deafening when Ruth Morey or Charlie Grover walked down the aisle to play the piano The movies went dark for several years and a roller skating rink and a miniature golf course took over. The theater reopened in the forties with sound and the first talkie shown here was "Anything Goes" with Bing Crosby and Ethel Merman. Going up "Iron Works Hill" there was a very large gear and shaft protruding out of a broken down building. These were left over from the Kinsley Iron Works, a part of a gate that controlled the water flow. A block of stores were built in the empty space after the sluice way. The Puritan Lunch room was one of the first occupants.

Tucker’s block was on the east side. O’Neil’s cleaning and pressing shop was on one end and Roger Holmes’ bicycle shop was in the middle and Polmanari’s Italian grocery store was on the end. Upstairs over these stores there was a pool room run by Mr. Quill. Next to Tucker’s block was the Crane school. Granite steps led up to the graveled pathway. Johnny Shallow was the janitor and he kept the lawns mowed and the walk ways were always raked and rolled. He did all the work in the building and I never saw anyone helping him. There were no power mowers then. Every student loved Johnny. If you got an "A" in any subject you would run to Johnny who would pat you on the head and give you a smiling word of encouragement. My teachers were Florence Bright, Mary Rehill, Amy Downes, Anna Delaney, and Ellen Kelley, the principal. She was reverently referred to as "Nell Kelley". Half way through the eighth grade, Miss Kelley retired and Miss Frances O’Connell took her place.

Many of my classmates have passed away and some have moved from Canton. My journey to school ends here. My knowledge of Washington street beyond the school was limited. My parents did not encourage exploring the "other end" of town at my age. These were very happy days. The town was beautiful and Washington street was tree lined. There was always people walking on the sidewalks. This era was called the Roaring Twenties. The depression was yet to come. To paraphrase Alice Duer Miller, "In a land where Canton is finished and dead, I do not wish to live."

As Remembered By:

This is my recollection of Canton Center when I was a child growing up on Wall Street in the 1920’s and 30’s.

My parents, Andrew F. and Nora E. Leonard, came to Canton in 1917 when O’Keefe’s Grocery Store chain transferred my dad here. He found a house on Wall Street, formerly Murphys Lane. After their furniture had been sent to Canton from Roxbury, my mother carrying her three month old son, Patrick J. Leonard, in a clothes basket went via the Boston Elevated to Mattapan. There she got the last trolley car of the night for Canton. They had five other children before they left Wall Street in 1934. Patrick, Mary, Ann, Elizabeth, John and Margaret in all. We all have pleasant memories of Wall Street.

Canton Village was a large neighborhood in those days. The train was the main transportation at that time. The trolley car ran to Mattapan also. In 1919, my mother required surgery. There was a hospital on High Street. My dad hired a horse and buggy, met the surgeon at Canton Junction and drove him up to the hospital. The surgery was completed successfully and dad drove the doctor back to the train station to catch his train back to his Boston office. I wasn’t here yet, but I had heard the story many times. Real country then.

After the trolley got stuck in the snow, the service was discontinued, I’ve been told. It was early in the 1920’s when Homer Perigny came to Canton and Wall Street. He operated a bus line to Mattapan. Homer was one of my favorite friends. It was he who gave me my first dog, a big brown friend who went everywhere with me; his name was "Gip". Homer’s bus ran daily to Mattapan. On Sundays the bus was hired by different organizations for outings. Margie Barbato would invite Mary or I to go, if room permitted, when the Sons of Italy went off on an excursion.

At the corner of Wall Street walking towards Saint John’s Church, I will give you an idea of what downtown was like in those days. The large building on the corner is now Minuteman Press. Back then, Mr. Perry had an upholstery shop. We would watch him as he worked and were always amazed at how the tacks from his mouth would appear under his hammer and march like little brass soldiers over the material of the chair he was working on. He had another art. He would fill a paint can with different colors of paint, take a glass jar, dip it in the can twirling it as he did, it would come out in a maze of beautiful colors. If we saw a different jar, we would bring it to him to perform his magic. Actually the vases he made were very beautiful. He also framed pictures, he did my First Communion picture.

This was a large building, upstairs was a hall where the Boy Scouts held meetings. Gus Brown, a boxer of the Wall Street Brown family, ran a gym. He taught boxing to my brother Pat and all the kids that were interested. A little store jutted out on the Wall Street side where Mr. O’Brien, the cobbler, did his shoe repair. It is still there today, as is the long flight of black iron stairs leading to the top floor. There was and still is a dwelling at the rear. This is the house where Tim Ahearn brought his family from Ireland.

O’Keefe’s store, my dads store , was where the Dance Studio is now. A grocer in that time had to "put up" sugar, flour, potatoes and several things that came in bulk. Butter and lard came in wooden tubs and dad could cut very close to a pound or whatever was asked for. "Little under okay" or "little over okay" was often heard at those times, as it is today. A young man, Dan Keleher, was busy "putting up" stocks. Dan is our Town Historian and former Chief of Police. The grocer had to go to the shelves and get a can of this or a bottle of that and bring it back to the counter. There, when the order was finished, he’d take a paper bag, put all the prices on it with a pencil always kept behind his ear and add it up as fast as today’s calculators and just as accurate.

In the late 1920’s, Washington Public Market opened in the block where Andreotti‘s Pharmacy is today. John Decemberele was the owner; he was at this site for several years and later moved to the store on the corner of Wall and Washington Streets. Meat and vegetables were the main staples. Later on, he opened a liquor store across the street. It is the Neponset Liquor store today. Next to this block of stores is an alley. The kids on Wall Street would walk up this alleyway. We would look out to see where the policeman was on his beat. If he was within hearing distance, we would yell "Officer, officer - call a cop", he would pay no attention. He knew us and we knew him. Ignored, the game would fizzle out for a few days.

The Post Office was next. Richard Lewis and Kevin Michael occupy that space now. The old Post Office had big plate glass windows and very high tables, or was I only a little girl. I remember standing there to mail a book to my dearest friend Mary Farrell. Mary was sick in a Boston hospital with some childhood ailment. Today after a few days on Penicillin, children are back in school. Upstairs over the Post Office were offices. There was a heavy double door and a dark foreboding steep set of stairs going up, or did it only seem that way as you were going to the dentist? Dr. Murphy had an office up there and several other people did also.

After the Post Office moved to where it is today, McLellan’s 5 & 10 store moved in. Several young women worked there. I remember Mae Powers, her sister Winnie, Peg Griffin and others. Each girl seemed to have her own counter and was always busy fixing the stock and keeping her counters neat. It was a busy place especially at Christmas time. Extra girls would be hired for the "Christmas Rush". My sister Betty worked one season. Betty later became the Canton School Nurse. She was the only nurse in the late 1940’s to cover all the schools.

I remember the gypsies visiting our village. It was in good weather usually. One morning they would be there in an empty store up in the center. They would put up cretonne draperies and sit and watch out the open door. The women would tell fortunes. Most of their customers were from surrounding towns. Our citizens did not want to be seen entering the store. The gypsies came in a big open touring car, men, women and children all crowded in. The women stayed in the store, but the men and children would disappear in the daytime. After two or three days all would be gone. One morning while the Leonard kids were eating breakfast, the gypsies came. A big touring car drove up and they descended on our grapevine. We watched as men, women and children picked the grapevine clean. My mother locked the door, said not to worry they would be gone when the grapes were gone. She was right. They left and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

Ed Galligan’s store was where Jim’s Variety is now. It was a place where you could buy penny candy, Hoodsies and anything you ran out of when the other stores were closed. One Memorial Day, Mary Farrell and I bought three lemons there. We made gallons of lemonade and sold it to the people watching the parade, the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. Everyone came out to watch the parade and most walked to Canton Corner. Poor Ed Galligan, he did not have much patience with a little girl, her big dog and two pennies to spend. So much to chose from, all that candy.

Roach’s Barber Shop was where the Mane Event is now. Mr. Roach and his assistant Gene Reardon did a healthy business as men got a haircut and a shave. We would always look in the window to see whose face was covered in lather. There were offices upstairs as there is today. In recent years there was a deli in the next store. A dry goods store was there long ago and then a drug store. I faintly remember those but Dubey’s Drug is the one I clearly remember. It had a marble counter with built in sections behind. That was where the ice cream and all the toppings were. There were also tables and chairs on the left as you entered. Margaret (Ahearn) Crowley and I would order a "college ice" with two spoons. It was like today’s sundae but only cost fifteen cents. My sister Margaret worked here in her college days. Later she taught at the Revere School on Chapman Street, now McHugo’s Landscaping Co.

Mr. Winer’s shoe store was next. He would stand in the doorway and look at our feet as we went by. Rumor had it he knew his own shoes and always sold them without room to grow so you would have to buy more soon. I am not sure it was the truth, but it was a well known rumor.

Buyers Network, in my childhood was a restaurant. At one time, it was run by Mr. Vincent Cogliano, it was called "The Log Cabin". The decor was a type of logs that lined the walls. Mr. Cogliano’s grandson, Eddie, now runs Family - A - Fare in Tolman’s Block. The old saying, "The apple does not fall far from the tree".

Mr. Whitty ran a haberdashery store in the end store. Revere Gallery is there now with the windows showing lovely framed scenes. Mr. Whitty’s windows held men’s hats and gloves.

In the next block was a group of stores, a restaurant, later on the A & P store where Allied Auto Parts is now. Under this was the Canton Bowling Alley, as it was called. They were busy as several leagues were formed.

The Ulman Brothers ran a grocery store in this block. They mostly carried Kosher food, but also seem to have any staple you needed. If you wanted to make home brew, a very popular beverage at that time, this is where you bought your hops.

Next I remember after that block of stores, before the liquor store and Hall’s barber Shop and the coin store was a long fence. Down near the river was an old shed with the remains of the old Kinsley Iron Works still there. We would stop on our way to school or whenever we went by to watch the water. In winter ice would form on the rocks on the side wall of the river bed. Always fascinated me.

Chrissies Bridal Shop is where Mr. Johnson would ply his cleaning and tailoring trade. He had a big machine where he would put a shirt or coat on and pull down a heavy cover, press a lever with his foot and steam filled the window.

The Orpheum Theatre, later the Strand, was a center of attraction. Saturday afternoon was a big kids day at the movies. A serial would play, continued from week to week. A man played the piano all through the scenes. When the action picked up on the screen, so did the music. Talkies came and the theatre closed. It became a roller-skating rink for a while. This was an attraction and brought youths from other towns to skate and meet other young people. Several Canton youths met and married mates this way. Before my dating time. Later the Strand complete with talkies opened, even in Technicolor. They had "Dish Night" where every lady received a piece of a set of dishes. You had to go weekly to make up the complete set. Pieces of some are still in older kitchens today. Tom Finn, who lived on Church Street, ran a very small store next to the movies. You bought your snacks there before going into the movies, in the early days.

I never remember anything but a gas station on the corner of Revere Street. It was an Esso Station run by Bud Damon, a very pleasant fellow. He pumped your gas and checked your oil, fixed flat tires and did repairs.

The Hemenway Housing is the former site of Canton High School. On Memorial Day the band would stop at the monument and fire a salute to honor the dead of previous wars. The whole town turned out for this parade. When we reached the cemetery the kids would find a tombstone with a flag on it. If no one was there to do it, we would wave the flag over the veterans grave when "Taps" were played.

Saint John’s Church and School would be next in line. The old church was set back with a long driveway and a circle to turn around, three doors and brick steps going up. It had a large steeple with a cross on top, a beautiful white New England building facing Washington Street. Attached to the rear of the church, was a long building for the first three primary grades. A square building stood in the center of the yard. This held classrooms of grades four through eight and also the Saint John High School which taught a very good secretarial course. The Sisters of Saint Joseph taught here and the education was excellent. They lived in a beautiful brick convent built in the early 1920’s and just demolished in 1996.

Behind this area was Saint Clement School. It was a novitiate at one time, years before my time. I remember it as a boarding school for boys in the winter. In the summer, the nuns ran a boarding camp for girls. Once or twice a year they went by bus to Nantasket. My mother had a cousin who was a nun there, so the Leonard girls were invited if there was room. A real treat for us.

It was in this area that Saint John’s held "Field days". There were booths where you could spin a wheel, buy refreshments (coffee made by my dad), take chances, etc. Margaret Ahearn Crowley won a set of dishes. They were china, blue with a brown trim. We were so excited someone in our group won something. We thought they were beautiful and proudly helped her carry them home.

The Rectory is about the same as when I was a child. It has been painted several times and rose bushes are behind the iron fence which was always there. It is a beautiful building with decorative trim over the windows. At Christmas time, all of the Saint John’s property would be very well illuminated. A large brightly lighted star was on the steeple of the church, lights on the magnolia tree outside the rectory and in every window of the rectory and on the blue spruce which is no longer there. Several large chestnut trees stood on the sidewalk outside the rectory. These are long gone due to the chestnut tree blight and the widening of the road in the late 1940’s.

The Norfolk County bank changed names and is about to change again, but has not changed its location. Canton Depot, the next building is gone now but trains still go on the way to Stoughton and from Stoughton to the Junction. Some trains did not go through to South Station and you had to change at Canton Junction for "The Boston Train". It was a real old building, gray stone, black almost from the smoke from the steam engines over the years. There were benches around the room and an iron stove that usually kept the chill off. As some girls came from Stoughton to Saint John High, the train was the mode of transportation. The fare was ten cents each way. While they waited for the train to bring them home, a group of us would go in and help them wait. We would practice for a play, talk over our day and just clown around. Sometimes the train that ran connecting Stoughton to the Junction was a small train. It was just like a single car, the engineer stood up front in a small space. It must have been a diesel powered engine. It was commonly called "The Tooneville Trolley" by the natives. This was from an old comic strip.

Behind the station was a feed and grain company and the Railway Express office. It was here my old friend Jack O’Neil picked up the mail. Elsie Poole Hayes the piano teacher lived in the next house. It has not changed a lot. It was always the same light yellow with dark green trim as it is today. A lovely stone wall still stands today. We were fascinated by this house as stories were told how it had a secret stair case and slaves were hidden before the Civil War. I heard a lot of stories in my childhood and wonder how many are really so.

Dr. Herbert Rice, who delivered me, lived with his family in the next house. There was a hedge around it and a wire fence in front of the hedge. It is now Attorney Paul Carroll’s office. William Reynolds lived in the next house. Looks much the same. Offices now but family home then with kids and horses. The horses would be out in the pasture by the side of the road and the barn was in the rear. The barn is now a very nice looking office building. The pasture is now the site of Judge Grover’s house, a bank when it was first moved there and now offices.

The Library was a smaller building then but over the years it had large additions on both sides. The children’s library is down stairs now but we were never allowed down there then. There was a room where you could study on the right. It had long tables with hanging lights over them. The globes were white glass and if you ran your pencil top over it, it made a sound that brought the librarians to the door and that was the end of that game.

Field days or carnivals were very popular in those days. Some were held behind the old Fire Station on Bolivar Street. Some nights there would be a band concert with music by the American Legion Band. There were fireworks sometimes, but I don’t remember the reason. Most of the large Field Days were held at the Messinger Street Playground. I remember going to many events there. Most of the fire works were "ground pieces". It could be a man riding a bike and it would be timed to light so the wheels seemed to be turning. This display always ended with the American Flag in full color. Everyone clapped and cheered and went home.

The Playground, while I am thinking about it. The kids from Wall Street would walk up there. Sometimes we would go down Walnut Street, go by a factory that made underwear, I think it was. You would come out by a little pond where you could swim. There was a slide going into this pond. I am sure it was dammed to create the pond as a lot of rocks were at one end. Other times we would walk up Washington Street to the Wentworth Motor Co., later Ivaldi’s and today is still a garage, then go down the driveway to a big log with boards nailed on as steps to cross it and come out to the pond. To get to the playground, you would cross the stream, dry most times, but if not, rocks to jump from one to the other to cross. There was a building there called the "shack" where you changed your clothes after swimming, boys upstairs and girls downstairs. The rest of the field were ball fields and swings, slides and tables to sit and make crafts. If you walked all that way, you would be very thirsty and had to cross the long field to the fountain on Messinger Street for a drink, that hasn’t changed much.

On our way home, we would go by Johnny Everett’s house on Washington Street. We were nervous about poor Johnny and if he was out working in his garden we would go by quietly and quickly. There was a nice garden by the side of the house and a little garden house in the center. Leo Strumski had his insurance business in this garden house in more recent years. All has been remodeled now and is the home of Dockray - Thomas Funeral Home. A picture of the original house appears in the 1995 Bicentennial Calendar.

The Clinic was where an ice cream stand was recently, now empty of business. It was a large white house where the District Nurse was housed. One day each week they held a "Well Baby Clinic". All new mothers would wheel their babies in a big wicker carriage to have their babies checked or, if needed, shots. Some older children had their tonsils out, staying three days. The parade of mothers and carriages would also be seen on voting day, as women got the right to vote in 1920, they exercised their right to vote. Voting was held at Memorial Hall in the upper hall, now divided into offices. It was a partisan election, local Democrats and local Republicans vied for office, each carrying on an aggressive campaign. This made for very lively competition. Most of the upper hall would be cleared of benches. These benches were about eight or ten feet long, highly varnished, with black iron legs and arm rests. Somehow, they were folded up and stacked under the long windows by the sides of the hall. The last bench stacked would still have the back and arm rest intact. Children sat there and watched while parents went to cast their vote. There was only one precinct and one polling place at that time. The stage was set with tables where workers counted the votes. Holman the caterer, from Norwood, served the workers food complete with his famous banana fritters. The Town Hall remains almost the same on the outside. The Civil War soldier, that was donated by Elijah A. Morse, has been moved inside. The Hall was the scene of Town Meetings, plays, minstrel shows, school plays, dances and graduations. I was brought up to appreciate voting and I have only missed one primary since I became of voting age.

Back up to Washington Street enroute home from the playground, Across the street was the Canton Journal and Whites Grocery Store. On the corner of Neponset Street was Dennison’s store. The side of this store ran along Washington Street. As we walked by we could see the rear of the building where large drums of kerosene oil were kept. People heated homes and cooked with kerosene. Several people still used kerosene lanterns. It smelled strongly of oil and was frightening to us children. The Italian Club held socials in the hall upstairs.

The Congregational Church was just back from the corner. What a beautiful old New England church! The steeple held the Town Clock. It had four faces, facing north, south, east and west, so it could be seen for a good distance. The bell struck every hour and was heard for miles. There was a cement walk along the side. A black iron rail, used to tie up your horse in earlier days was along here. We would never walk by without swinging on those bars.

Across the street was the O’Neil home. Jack lived there with his mother, and had a horse and team which he kept in a barn in the rear. His job was to drive to the mail train several times a day and deliver the sacks to the rear of the Post Office on Wall Court. The wagon was oblong and the seat like a bench with a high back. You may see that type on television or in movies of olden days. Jack sat very straight and tall with his whip at the ready to use if my dog chased the wheel. He was not a favorite of this little girl nor of her dog.

On the corner where the dentist building is now, formerly the Canton Co-Operative Bank, I can only remember a vacant lot. The Canton Supply Hardware was built where it still stands today. The next block of stores, Tolman’s Block, seemed new to me. It had cement steps going in. Some stores I recall were Ward’s Ice Cream, Marion’s Tea Room and the Edison was there for many years. Edison had a showroom so on your way to the counter to pay your bill you could check out a refrigerator. They were the largest suppliers of refrigerators in those days for those who wanted to replace their ice box.

Dunkin Donuts, on the corner of Church Street, was formerly Morse and Mullen Motors. They had new cars for display. The sidewalk all around the corner was without curbing.

The Baptist Church was on Church Street now the Masonic Hall. At that time, it had a steeple and a bell. The boys in the area would go in and ring the bell but because it was so heavy, it could not be heard very far. Next to the church were a group of stables. They were for horses to be sheltered if the weather was inclement. The building looks the same, with the exception of the steeple and sheds. The Harry Graham family lived where Frank & Vinny’s Barber Shop is located now. Mr. Graham was an undertaker. At that time most of the wakes were held in the home. If for any reason you could not have it in your own home, Mr. Graham’s house would be yours to use. Mr. and Mrs. Graham were the kindest, nicest people you would ever meet. Mr. Graham went up to Ketchum’s Drug Store almost every night and bought ice cream cones. He and Mrs. Graham would sit on the porch and eat the cones. When the boys rang the bell, Mrs. Graham would come out. She did not want them to get hurt climbing in the back window of the Baptist Church. The game ended fast even though she’d never say a word.

On the corner of Church and Washington Streets was a drug store. This was run by Johnny Goldberg and his wife Annie. I don’t think it lasted too long. Later it became Peg and Pauls Restaurant, and is now the camera shop. Mr. Gordon had a clothing store where Touch of Class is now. It was a place that sold dry goods and linens and things.

Then a big lawn, terrace like with grass. It was the front of the High House, also called the Gray Eagle. A store was built in front of it perhaps in the late 1920’s. It is the first house on Wall Street, on the left. We called it the High House always. It was moved from Boston to Canton in the late 1880’s, I was told. The Stevensons lived there and the Farrells came in the mid 1920’s. Mr. Danovitch had a furniture store in part of the Gray Eagle. I named my gray tiger kitten Gray Eagle. Mr. Morse, an egg man from Sharon, brought us the kittens. My sister Mary, named hers "Lindy", so it must have been 1927.

Taub’s store was on the corner where Strand Jewelers is now. You could outfit the whole family there. I remember sister Mary and I running up early one morning for bathing suits after a call came inviting us to go with the St. Clemens girls.

Now lets back up to Neponset Street. Opposite Neponset was Sheehan’s Market, the Neponset Café is there now. The Sheehans ran a market, but remodeled it as a pub after prohibition.

The double house next was home to the Quigley family, and I can’t think who lived on the other side. Scully’s house is Queenie’s now with other businesses and offices. The Scully’s had twins Gerald and Geraldine. Gerald lost his life in the War. Geraldine worked at the Telephone Co., in later years.

Charlie Falls Barber Shop was on the corner of Rockland Street. Charlie was a fun loving man who would tease us by pretending he was going to cut our hair very short, or worse cut it off, or he would go to lather our face with the cup and brush. We would be laughing and having a great time. Haircut was a fun day.

Pitcher’s Block is no longer there on the corner of Rockland Street, having burned down a few years ago. It is now Dr. Rappaport Optometrists and Davenport’s Accountants. Mr. Loud had a newspaper store there when I was a kid, selling tobacco and penny candy. I would buy a paper and run. If Ed Galligan had little patience with a little girl and her dog choosing penny candy, Mr. Loud had less.

The Canton Co-Operative Bank was there in that building. Later they moved across to their new building on the corner of Neponset Street. I remember going up with the monthly mortgage payment many times. Once I took a ride down Wall Street on a Flexible Flyer with Mary Farrell. Pulling the sled up, I discovered the money was lost. Every kid that was out coasting searched till it was found. If I hadn’t found it, I may never dared to go home. It was the last time I did not do my errand first and coast later.

Upstairs, Dr. Nathaniel Fuller the dentist had his office. There were others up there including Dan Flood. Dan was Town Clerk and ran an insurance business. My sister Mary, now Mary McColgan of Dorchester, worked for Dan. Later this office moved down stairs and took over Loud’s when that became available.

Mrs. Stahle, a lovely lady, ran a gift shop on the other side where Davenport has his office now. Most shower and wedding gifts were bought there. She would advise you if it was bought already for that bride to be and suggest something else. I still have glassware from there.

Matt Kelly’s Pub was home to Joe Murphy’s newsstand. Joe sold newspapers, candy and tobacco products. Before Joe opened, I remember a novelty store there on the same idea as the five & dime store.

Ketchum’s Drug Store was in the next building. It is no longer there, but now part of the Bank of Canton property. As kids, we would call and ask "Do you have Prince Albert in the can", if the person who answered didn’t hang up, we would say "Let Him Out." A hairdresser, Mary Brady was in the next shop. Dr. Cletus Dunn a dentist had an office upstairs as did Dr. Luce. Both men were kind and gentle with patients. I am glad the town named the Dean S. Luce School for him.

Later, when I worked at the telephone Company, Dr. Luce and Dr. Rice were the only two doctors in town during the war. Both were very helpful. I always remember Dr. Luce saying "Well, I’ll go", no matter what the hour or the weather. I had an urgent call one night for a doctor and both were out. Dr. Rice was the first to answer on his return. When I told him about the call, he said he did not even know where the street was and I suggested the person would pick him up, he went. How to answer a call in the country during World War II.

The Canton Institution for Savings as it was known at that time, wanted to build in the next lot. The Casey family lived in the house on that lot. The house was moved to Mechanic Street. The old Brady house became the Casey home. It was accessed via Wall Court. The front of this house, which is no longer there, faced the rear of the stores. It had a large front lawn at one time I heard when I asked. Before my time, large houses on Washington Street gave up the front lawn for stores. This is the same as the High House or Gray Eagle. I asked a lot of why’s and how’s when I was little I guess. A barn went with this house and Mr. Trayers made a house out of it. Wood was hard to come by in that era and houses were moved and barns remodeled into dwellings.

Wentworth’s Market and Sawyer’s Hardware filled the location on the corner of Mechanic Street. Now it is the Neponset Liquor Store and Your Secret. There were always apartments upstairs.

The beautiful old Universalist Church stood on the other corner. It had a different type of steeple, more round than tall and narrow. Cumberland Farms is there now. Next was a lovely old house. Mr. and Mrs. William Bride and two daughters lived there. Several other families made their homes there before it was demolished. Since it has been replaced with a modern brick office building.

A large brick building and with a very odd sort of steeple was on the corner. The building was called Brook’s Block, burned down in 1943 and is now a travel agency, nail salon and clothing store. When I was little, Moulton’s Drug Store was on the corner and a dry goods store next to it. As you went around the corner of Bolivar Street, Mr. Williams had a jewelry store. The police had an office in a small store and the "lock up" was under the fire station across Bolivar Street. Later a restaurant run by Tommy Casey was on the corner. Tommy also ran a taxi, which my dad hired for an annual outing to City Point. Upstairs was the telephone office and a hall for meetings. I remember the letters in old English script over the double doors, I.O.O.F. Several groups held meetings there. I know the A.O.H., Ancient Order of Hibernians had many good times there. The Ladies Auxiliary of the A.O.H. also held meetings there. I remember my mother going to a Halloween party dressed as a school girl in Isabelle Rogers’ clothes. Even her children did not know her with her hair hanging down her back and a big red bow on it.

On the corner of Washington and Bolivar Streets was the Crane School. It was a red brick building set back on the lot. There was a lawn in front of it and granite steps going up. The site of the school is now Walgreen’s Drug, the lawn is a parking lot and the steps are still there just where they were always.

Next to the school was Tucker’s Block. It housed stores down stairs and a pool or game room upstairs. Mr. Polmanari ran a grocery store and Mr. Holmes a bicycle shop there. The Holmes boys were twins, Wesley and Warren, and entered in the Soap Box derby, that was held in Akron, Ohio. The boys had to make the soap boxes themselves. I remember seeing them tryout the cars going down the hill in front of the store. The upper floor with the pool hall was accessed by a long flight of covered stairs on the side of the building.

The lot next to the store was a residence. It was later moved to Bolivar Street and replaced by a small office building. This was moved across the street and is now in the area of Hall’s Barber Shop and the Coin shop. The river was next and sometimes it would really roar over the dam. When it was quiet we would walk across a narrow platform but it was daring to do that.

Lasden Electric was a mill. It seemed to be a long building and had other buildings in the rear. When I lived on Sherman Street, we would go behind there and through the woods, over the railroad tracks and called it a short cut home!

Mr. Caplan ran a cleaning and tailoring business and Joe Ammendolia ran a barber shop in the next block. New building there now. The Canton Diner was next, a popular spot for great food. It was a typical diner, it looked like a railroad car with its big windows. There was a gas station next to where the Post Office is now. It had been the site of the Catholic Club, once the Massapoag House. I always heard how the town turned out to help the night of that fire. It was a very cold night January 5, 1918, and not much was left of it the next day. "Big D", as Daniel Reardon was known, was a builder in this town then. He salvaged lumber and built houses. I have always heard the sills in my house where I have lived for over forty-five years came from there. That is why they are so large and do not match. They have stood the test of time!

On the corner of Washington Street and Ames Avenue was where Judge Gregory Grover lived with his family. It was surrounded by a black iron fence and was an impressive home. The Grovers had a chow dog with a purple tongue. As a kid, I thought it was unique to Grovers dog but knew later it is a chow characteristic and it was a black tongue. This house was moved to a spot next to the library. It is a sample of craftsmanship. Next time you walk by it or park in the library parking lot and look at the detail around the windows and under the roof eaves. Don’t build them like that anymore.

On the other corner of Ames Avenue and Washington Street was a grocery store that later became Carradonnas Barber Shop and Verity’s Shoe store. I bought my first pair of "heels" in Veritys. I thought it was the "Cats Meow" as was the saying of that time.

Pesaturo’s had a gas station and ran a taxi from the next lot. It is mostly empty now except for the taxi office which is now Fralick’s Plumbing Co. Joe Morro ran a meat market in the next block; it is now Hughes Skate Shop. The store next to his was a Chinese laundry. Charlie, as we called him, worked all the time. I believe he lived in the rear of the store. There were apartments up over these stores. I used to think how close those kids were to school and did not have the long walk we had on a cold bitter day.

Marks Store was a popular place. If you had a nickel you’d drop in for a treat on your way home from school. You could buy newspapers, magazines, candy and ice cream etc. When I worked in the telephone I would go up to the bank to cash my check on pay day. Then over to Marks for a pint of ice cream which my mother and I would enjoy when we finished our lunch.

Ecco Store, run by O’Bie O’Brien was the last store. His name was Leonard O’Brien but was always called O’Bie. He ran that store for many years. Now there is a rental company and a cleaner’s store. Deane Coal Company was in the little building next to the railroad tracks. Miss Reynolds took your order and it was she you paid your bill to. This building is now occupied by a trophy store.

The New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad tracks ran right through as they do today. That time in history, there was an attendant who put the gates down when a train was coming. He would make sure no one sneaked around the gates also. When the train was well out of view, the gates would go up. There was a little gate house where the gate tender would be sitting out of the weather till his bell rang alerting him to the approaching train.

Temple Beth Abraham sat up in the rear of the next lot. It had a high stone wall around it and a grass lawn in front. Now the Texaco gas station occupies this spot. The Reynolds family lived in the next house on the corner of center Street. It is still there but most of the other residences that were there at that time are no longer. The area now has apartment houses and office buildings. One house was moved to "Horseshoe Road" which is now Reynolds and Cotter Streets, the house is actually on Cotter Street.

One of these houses was abandoned and became dilapidated. At St. John’s School, we had an elocution teacher, Miss Comerford. She taught us poems, plays and to "articulate and enunciate". One poem we learned was about an empty house. When we passed this house, so forlorn, we’d stand and recite that poem. I bet I could still recite it today if I thought about it.

The grocery store became a controversial school when Mr. Pozzo moved out and soon closed. Pozzo Brothers built a new store on the corner of Sherman and Washington Streets in front of Charlie Cushman’s house. Charlie kept horses and cows. The cows were grazed in Endicott’s field on Sherman Street. In the winter this field was flooded and used for ice skating. He cut hay up on a Pleasant Street field, the area is now houses and streets. One night, one of his cows came over to the back window of the telephone office and frightened the few that were at work. We were startled to see what the noise was but caused a lot of laughter as country girls weren’t frightened by cows.

Back to dear old Wall Street and the kids who played there. The Browns, the Barbatos, the Farrells, the Crowleys, the Ahearn kid and the Leonards. We were always so busy. The library was a favorite haunt. We knew just where to find our favorite books. Miss Holmes and Miss Ryan kept strict order, no talking above a whisper and then only when absolutely necessary. I wonder what their reaction would be if they knew we referred to these two ladies as Rosie and Gert, out of their hearing of course. Some days we would take a lunch and go blueberrying or up to the "Res". Both were good distances, but we would take short cuts. Pick up Margaret Ahearn on Revere Street, Mary Farrell who lived on Pequit Street, go through yards and woods and come out at the "Little Red House" where the Alexanders lived and cross Pleasant Street to the Res to swim.

Mrs. Beatty, mother of Edward J. Beatty, who gave his life in W. W. I, lived on Wall Street. She had grandchildren who would play with us when they came to visit her. The Bly family, her daughter’s family, lived on Wall Street for a while. Mrs. Beatty was a "Gold Star Mother" and rode in the parade on Memorial Day. She always seemed sad to me. Little did we know that the Farrell family would lose son Paul in W. W. II, and Mrs. Margaret Farrell would become a Gold Star Mother years later. An honor no mother wants.

Some days we would go over to Revere’s Woods. It is all developed now, Cape Cod Lane and Streets named for the Revere’s. You crossed Neponset Street from Plymouth Street and entered by way of a turnstile. At the very low end, over a stone wall was a large tree. We called it "Swing Tree Woods", as you could sit on a limb and swing up and down. The Revere house was up at the end of a long gravel driveway from Neponset Street. Margaret, Anna, Edward and Paul lived there then. They were kind and did not mind us using their grounds. Years later, I took a walk up there and met Edward. He talked about his roses and said he had roses that would bloom each month of the year, even on Christmas and showed us his greenhouse. They were Paul Reveres great grandchildren.

Mary Rogers lived across from the Revere’s driveway on Neponset Street. It was a large white house then. Mary drove an electric car and did a lot of charity work. She always seemed to be dressed in black. The electric car gave out before Mary did. She was related to the Reveres, a cousin.

The "Village" was a busy place on Saturday night. People came to do the shopping for the weekend. Anyone who had a car drove of course. Stores were open on Saturday and not Sunday. If you ran out of anything on Sunday you could get it at Ed Galligans or Tom Finn’s. In good weather the kids from Wall Street would walk up town to see the excitement. Cars were an attraction in the 20’s. Everyone knew everyone it seemed.

In September of 1938, my sister Mary, Margaret Ahearn, myself and a few more were walking home from work. We had heard about a storm and trees were coming down. As we were by Sawyer’s Hardware, on the corner of Mechanic Street, the plate glass window of the First National Store across the street blew out and fell on "Ducky" Gibbons who was going by. He was bleeding badly from the glass cuts. Some fellows helped him and were bringing him over to the doctor. As Mary worked downstairs in Dr. Hagen’s building, she was asked if she knew he was in and they headed for his office.

So many things have changed in the Village over the years. Many stores and businesses came and went, as is today.

This is how I remember life as it was in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Even though the Leonard family moved to Sherman Street in the mid 1930’s, the center was the place to go. It was the hub of our universe. I could go on and on, but all good things must end. I know other memories are not as mine, but this is the way it was for me. I write as I talk, fluently.

The first Postmaster shown in federal records was Silas Kinsley who assumed the position in 1803. although he was not the first one to hold the job. The identities of his predecessors are unknown, for any information on them was lost when the British burned Washington and the Postal Department during the War of 1812.

We know that mail movement occurred in Canton during colonial times and in the early days of the Republic. In 1781 there was an advertisement in the Continental Journal informing friends of soldiers and Canton residents that they could mail letters at either May's Tavern or Mr. Randall's for a cost of three shillings postage. The May Tavern was at what is now the northeast corner of Washington and Pleasant Streets. The mail was carried between Boston and Canton by a post-rider named William Shurtleff. Later, Canton resident Friend Crane was to drive the mail stage for twenty-five years between the two locations.

Until the 1840's all mail to and from Canton was carried by stage coach, and the first Post Office was located in what is now Canton Corner with George Downes running the operation. Over the years there have been various locations for the principal Post Office. For many years the site of the office depended on the whims and wishes of the Postmaster then in charge. From 1839 to 1843 Darius Tucker had the office at the corner of Neponset and Washington Streets. In 1843 Elihu Carpenter moved it to a building where the Canton Centre train stop is now situated. In 1848 Dr. Caleb Taft chose to put it at the corner of Wall and Washington Street in the building now occupied by Minuteman Press.

There it remained until 1856 when William Brooks became Postmaster, and he had no compunction in moving the Post Office into his father's new block at the corner of Bolivar and Washington Streets. Not only did the office go into Brooks' Block, it also became an annex to his father's drug store. In 1861 Rufus Wood succeeded as Postmaster and being of an opposing political party to Brooks', moved the office across the street to near where the R& R Deli is now located. There it remained till 1900 when Postmaster Bartholomew R. Doody relocated it to Flood's Block, the present home of Richard Lewis' enterprises. Doody's move was applauded as the Post Office had outgrown the previous site. Later the office was moved up Washington Street to a building owned by Dennis Trayers and where Allied Auto Parts is now.

By the early 1930's it was clear that larger quarters were needed and a federal study was undertaken to determine what to do. When in 1933 the recommendation was made to enlarge the then building. there were cries of outrage that the site was too inadequate and in particular that there was not enough parking. (Doesn't that sound familiar?) The protests delayed matters two years until in the summer of 1935 the land for today's Post Office was chosen and a contract for a new and special purpose building was awarded to Klayman Construction Company of Mattapan. The building was completed in January 1936, and the Post Office moved to it over one weekend. It was an attractive and meaningful addition to downtown Canton and a tonic for those singing the Depression blues.

A year later in January 1937 the mural in the lobby depicting the early days of Canton was unveiled. The painter was E. Fiene, an unemployed artist from New York City, who was given an arts grant by the Works Progress Administration. This came at a time when the Roosevelt planners were subsidizing creative people who had been thrown out of employment by the Great Depression. Fiene spent the summer of 1936 in Canton researching the history of the town. His resulting painting is a vivid and remarkable synthesis of the vital elements of Canton's early copper industry, which was located within viewing distance of the new Post Office.

The mural is based on a photograph from the 1850's and measures 11' 6" by 10' 8" with the center scene the Revere Copper Yard. The brick building in the center of the painting was built in 1858 and still stands as part of the Plymouth Rubber Company. Also depicted is Paul Revere's rolling and gun powder mills. The portrait of Revere on the left of the mural is based on a painting of him by Gilbert Stuart. He is shown at his desk examining plans for the building of Robert Fulton's steamboat, Raritan , with Old Ironsides and the State House in the back ground. Revere copper sheathing was used on the ships and on the dome of the State House. On the right of the painting is a scene in the rolling mill with a workman at the furnace while two others are drawing copper at the rolls. The painting arrived in Canton after it had been exhibited in Washington where it had received favorable reviews.

The Post Office has always been a vital part of community life and the Postmaster a significant figure in town. For most of its existence, the local office did not provide free home delivery and thus every family had to come to the office to pick up their mail. Limited delivery to the outlying sections of town began in 1903, and by the end of World War I there were letter carriers coming to every dwelling.

The Postmaster's job until about twenty years go was in every jurisdiction a political appointment and incumbency depended on whether or not a Democrat or Republican President occupied the White House. The Postmaster's term of appointment was usually for four years, and he was allowed to serve that time, but if a different party was in power at the end of his term, he would not be re-appointed. As a consequence one finds the same man serving as Canton Postmaster, not being re-appointed, and then coming back some years later. Caleb Taft served from 1848 to 1851 and then from 1853 to 1856; Fred Holmes from 1879 to 1888 and then from 1892 to 1897. The Democrats were out of office for many years until Wilson's election in 1912. This resulted in the naming of John J. "Jack" Haverty as Postmaster who occupied the office until 1922 when Republican President Harding appointed W. Lincoln Burt. When the lattter's term ended in 1935, Roosevelt nominated William F. Whitty to the post.

In more recent times the job has become non-political and career managers have run American post offices. In fairness it should be noted that the political appointees did a creditable job or the system would not have lasted as long as it did. One instance of a beloved and efficient manager was Jack Haverty who received scores of letters from American soldiers in France during the first World War.

Since in earlier times all mail was called for by the public, there were sub post offices with their own politically appointed post masters or often post mistresses. One was located at Ponkapoag where Crowell's store is now and another was at Canton Junction. The Junction sub station was in the office of the L. R. Wattles Company and Joseph Wattles was the Postmaster. There were one hundred postal boxes there, and it was a convenient spot for commuters to post and receive letters.

With home delivery came the carriers whose routes seldom changed and who became warp and woof of the fabric of the town. It is hard to believe now that mail delivery to the home was twice a day, almost all of it on foot. The legendary carriers of Canton were Bert Estey, Bill Bride, Mike Thompson, Frank McEnaney, George Smith and Joe Gavigan. Memorable clerks were Joe Crowley and Mike Flood while Miss Ella Ryan, the Assistant Postmaster, who in the opinion of many really ran the operation with iron authority.

The office here has come a long way from the stage coach days to the time of nine digit zip codes. Yet the Post Office is still essential to our family life and to the commerce of Canton.

First I would like to welcome my fellow citizens of the Town of Canton to this festive event. I would like to thank the Beautification Committee for the fabulous job they did getting this site ready for today. For those of you who do not know me, I am Chris Brindley, a ten year veteran of your Conservation Commission, Historical columnist for the Canton Journal Newspaper, Curator of the Canton Historical Society and a member of the Bicentennial Historic Committee and lifelong resident.

At the annual town meeting in April, 1878, the town appointed a Committee to procure plans and select a proper location for a new Town Hall. After considerable discussion as to the merits of several locations, it was voted to build at the corner of Washington and Depot Streets (today’s Sherman St.). The land was donated by Mr. Elijah A. Morse. The contract required that the roof be finished on November 15, 1878, the roof was not completed until March 1879. The first brick was laid the first of September 1878, and the building was completed in November 1879. The town appropriated $31,000.00 and the total construction cost was $31,195.12. The building was designed by Stephen C. Earle of Boston. The grading and foundation were done by Crimmins and Lawrence of Boston and the building was constructed by J. W. Colburn & Co. of Boston. The official Memorial Hall dedication was on Thursday, October 30, 1879. Just a side note on Crimmins and Lawrence, in 1894 Mr. Crimmins constructed Lawrence Street from Sherman to Leonard Street and named it after John Lawrence.

As we look at this magnificent structure, I will take you back to 1879 with a tour through the Hall. The architecture is Modern Gothic, the underpinning and steps are of Concord Granite. The main building is 101’ x 62’ on the foundation. The building is entered by a flight of six steps of fine hammered Concord granite partly covered by a porch. The marble tiled vestibule is entered by two sets of double folding black walnut doors, these have been replaced with glass doors we have today. Opposite these are similar doors of ash with glass panels. On the right when you entered the first set of doors was the ticket office, now a restroom and on the left a door to the basement, which is still the same. As you proceed through the second set of doors you enter the vestibule, on the right was a lobby, doors from which enter the room of the Town Clerk and Treasurer, and also that of the Selectmen. Connected with these rooms is a fireproof vault, for town records, and two large closets.

On the left is the Librarian’s room. Now, the Selectmen’s meeting room. In the center is another set of double folding doors, on either side of these doors are placed the beautiful Memorial Tablets, a gift of Elijah A. Morse. Going through the doors on the right was the Selectmen’s room, today’s Town Clerk’s office. Next on the right was the School Committee room, known today as the finance department. On the left going through the double doors was the Library, now the treasurer and tax collectors office, and assessors office. At the end of the hall was a small caucus hall.

On the second floor at the top of the stairs were two double folding doors to the audience hall and ladies rest room. On the left are the stairs to the gallery and door to the lobby. At the east end of the audience hall was a stage and on either side were ante-rooms. The doors between the stage and the ante-rooms were arranged to slide up and make the stage nearly the width of the building. At the opposite end is the gallery. The gallery provided seating for 224 persons, the floor was furnished with 144 settees, each seating five persons, although 1,050 people can be seated comfortably. The original lighting was gas, 82 fixtures on the first floor, 168 on the second and 154 in the hall, including 25 footlights.

The second floor hall was not completed until January 1882. I quote from the January 13, 1882, Canton Journal. "Bunker Hill Monument is finished." "No, that is not what we mean. Memorial Hall is finished and there it stands, a fitting emblem to the memory of those who died in defense of their country." And with all the staging and scenery now completed, the first entertainment was held on Saturday January 14, 1882, it was a play called Hazel Kirke. The acoustic problems that we experience today have been a problem since day one.

Also in late 1882 and through 1883, Canton was introduced to the latest invention, the telephone.

The discussions of a drinking fountain at Memorial Hall began about February 1890, the Canton Journal of February 21, 1890 reported that "there will be an article in the town warrant asking for a marble drinking fountain to be placed in the vestibule of Memorial Hall. Such a fountain would harmonize with the memorial tablets and surroundings." At this period in time drinking fountains were all the vogue, Miss Caroline Downes purchased a trough for the corner of Bolivar and Pleasant Streets, which was made of Randolph granite. Mr. Edwin Wentworth placed a trough at Neponset and Washington Streets, Mr. Morse had one at the corner of Lewis Street and the Historical Society gave the Apostle Eliot trough at Randolph and Washington Streets to the town. The Chapman heirs placed a watering trough at Canton Junction. At the town meeting of April 7, 1890, Article 24 was for a drinking fountain in Memorial Hall. Our townsman Congressman Elijah A. Morse, agreed to give a fountain to the town, provided the town pay for making the connections. A vote of thanks was extended to Mr. Morse for his generous gift.

The May 29, 1890, Canton Journal reported that "the new drinking fountain for the vestibule of Memorial Hall, has arrived. It will be placed in position at once." The fountain was originally intended for outside service (see sketch) but in order to make it appropriate for inside service slight changes had to be made. The horses’ and dogs’ heads were removed, the number of water receptacles reduced and other slight changes made in the base. The fountain was manufactured by the J. W. Fiske Co. of New York.

In the July 18, 1890 issue of the Canton Journal it was reported that "for the second time the dippers on the drinking fountain have been broken off and carried away by some person maliciously inclined. Scores of people have gone to the fountain for a cool refreshing drink, only to find the dippers gone. The officers should keep a strict watch and if possible, catch the rascal, and if caught he should be summarily dealt with to the fullest extent of the law."

Also at this period in time Canton was being introduced to electricity. The churches were among the first to have electric light. July 7, 1890, was the first trial of the arc street lights. The lights showed up well, and gave reasonable assurance that we shall have a perfectly satisfactory system of street lighting. On July 23, 1890, the "Hon. Elijah A. Morse residence was lighted for the first time with electric lights. The whole seventy lights burned brilliantly and without a flicker of any kind." On August 5, 1890, The arc lamps in Ponkapoag were lighted for the first time. The Ponkapoag people were much pleased with them. During the week of August 8, 1890, "the Selectmen notified Street Lamp Lighter McCabe to continue lighting the streets until further orders. With the two systems it would be hard to find a town better lighted."

In September and October 1883, Thomas Alva Edison was in Brockton overseeing the installation of their incandescent lighting system.

On March 11, 1890, the fire service was being tested at Memorial Hall, and two horse chestnuts were thrown out of the hose. They came very near to stopping the water flow. I remember as a young boy across Sherman Street near the corner of Danforth Street and the Cushman Farm there was a massive horse chestnut tree, maybe they came from there.

The September 9, 1894, issue of the Canton Journal tells us that "the builders of our Town Hall were evidently students of the scriptures. Not only is it "a city that is set upon a hill" but whoever observes the work of the contractors engaged in making a foundation for the broad stone steps that are to lead from the street through the center of the lawn to the door will realize that the builders emulated the example of the wise man and built their house upon a rock. The bronze statue drinking fountain is to be removed from the vestibule of the hall and placed on the lawn in front, being connected with town water. This will be a welcome change and will place the statue where it should be and where the donor intended it to be located. The contract for this work has been given to John Lawrence who will no doubt perform it in an acceptable and businesslike manner.

The Journal also reported the last week of November 1894, that "the granite steps now being erected in front of Memorial Hall by John Lawrence, which will lead up to the soldier drinking fountain, when completed, are a present to the town from Congressman Morse. They will supply a long felt want for foot passengers to leave and enter Memorial Hall, and will be a great addition and ornament when completed.

In the 1960’s and 70’s the old statue was vandalized numerous times and the first week of June 1971 the gun was stolen again. It was decided to move the statue back into Memorial Hall, where it will probably stay. The condition of the statue is not very good and in its present condition would succumb quickly to the New England Weather. There are some options open to us. We could send the statue out for rebuilding or try to track down another or the mold, this is a standard figure and may be replaceable. Maybe the Bicentennial Committee could hold a fund raiser this winter for the restoration of our 107 year old guardian of Memorial Hall.