Elijah Dunbar, who was a leader in so many phases of early America, included among his credits the founding of the first library in the Stoughton-Canton vicinity. While attending Harvard College, Dunbar developed an insatiable thirst for knowledge and an equally great love of books.

Six years after graduating from the Cambridge school, he organized, in 1766, a literary society which existed through the end of the century. The society, which consisted of books personally brought from Boston by Dunbar, met each November at the homes of individual members.

Andrew Capen was another socially prominent name to appear frequently in the records of this and other early libraries of the Town. In 1879, when the society’s annual meeting was held at Capen’s home, he was elected to the position of clerk. In this capacity he was responsible for the recording of book activity, membership lists and provided whatever publicity the organization required.

Soon after the turn of the century both Dunbar and Capen became proprietors of the Canton Social Library. It was soon agreed that the library should be enlarged in order to be "more useful and entertaining." Because the books were so popular and were issued so frequently, it was necessary to publish a public notice asking residents to return all outstanding volumes that they might be properly catalogued.

In the rebuilding process many of the older books were disposed of and replaced with new editions. New assessments were levied. The annual meetings were called by a Justice of the Peace who duly issued a warrant to be served by Samuel Capen, another proprietor of the new library. During this period the annual meetings were changed from November to January, and were held at the inn of Luther May.

About 1826, a Lyceum Library was organized but its popularity never matched that of the older, more established society. Finally, in 1835, all of its books were turned over to the Social Library.

Meanwhile the Social Library had experienced another transition. In 1833, thanks to the Ladies of the Sewing Circle of the First Congregational Parish, the library became available to everyone for a nominal annual fee. The library was moved to Everett’s Hall where Mrs. Charles H. French, daughter of Leonard Everett, became the first librarian. It was the influence of this fine lady which enabled the Canton Library to become the first in eastern Massachusetts to remain open on Sunday. With the acquisition of books from the Lyceum it became necessary to move the library again, this time to the lower room of the old town house.

Nearly forty years later, Mr. Frank G. Webster, and Rev. Joseph F. Jennison recognized the need of a reading room in the library. In short order they procured subscriptions, in the amount of $600 for their goal. The room was so well received that the Grand Army of the Republic presented entertainment at its opening in November of 1873.

After two years, the Town granted Webster an annual fund of $500 for the care of the room and its books, aside from the general library funds. The only stipulation to the grant was that the books should become Town property and should be available to all citizens free of charge.

About that time the Town’s Agricultural Library incorporated with the Social Library. A Board of Trustees was elected and Webster became the first chairman. The books were deposited in Wentworth Hall, later in the Armory building, and eventually moved to rooms in Memorial Hall. In a scant forty years the library’s catalogue had increased from less than five hundred volumes to more than 2,600.