History of Canton
History of Canton
Canton, New York is located at the foothills of the
Adirondack mountains and eighteen miles from the
Canadian boarder. The Town of Canton was first settled
in 1801 by Stillman Foote, who traveled through the
Champlain Valley from Vermont. The Town was officially
incorporated in 1805, the Village on May 14, 1847.
Canton has two colleges, St. Lawrence University, a four
year liberal arts University and SUNY Canton College of
Technology, a two-year college. Canton is also the
County Seat of St. Lawrence County.
The Town of Canton's population, including college students is 11,000 during the school year and 8,000 when college is not in session. The Village's population during the school year is 6,400 and 2,200 in the summer.
In past years, the area's industries were lumbering, cheese manufacturing and dairy farming. The largest employers at the present time are the Universities, County, Schools and Corning.
Some notable personalities that were from Canton include Silas Wright, who was State Senator in 1823, and served as Governor of New York in 1844. Governor Wright's house serves as a museum and County Historian's residence.
J. Henry Rushton, born in 1843 in Edwards, N.Y., became known world wide for his cedar canoes, especially the Indian Girl model. Rushton had a display of his works at the Chicago Columbia World's Fair in 1893. That event opened the doors for this north country woodsman and the orders poured in from all over the world.
Another famous native son and man of the Adirondacks was Frederic Sackrider Remington, a great nineteenth-century "Western" artist. He immortalized the western frontier in oil and bronze. There is a museum of his works in the near-by town of Ogdensburg. Frederic Remington Museum
Visitors will stroll back in time to the 1880s and enjoy artistic, musical and historical
activities as conducted in the era of famed artist Frederic Remington, who was born
and raised in the Canton, NY area.
Some of the events include:
Silas Wright Museum
Main Street Canton, NY
The restored home of 19th century New York State Governor Silas Wright
is now home to The St. Lawrence County Historical Association. Admission is free, donations accepted.
Educational tours for school and community groups can be scheduled throughout the year; please call in advance. Scholars requesting access to objects from the permanent collection for research purposes should call in advance to set up an appointment. There is a fee for non-member access to archives
historian@cantonnewyork.us
Please send comments or suggestions to:
