The Canton Corner Cemetery is a major contributing element in the Canton Corner Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (2009). In May of 2015, Town Meeting approved Community Preservation Act funding for the development of design plans for restoring the large receiving tomb and adjacent vaults and for stabilizing grave sites on a nearby knoll in the Canton Corner Cemetery.

Detailed design plans and cost estimates were provided by Structures North in the Fall of 2015, and the Canton Historical Commission sought additional CPA funding to undertake a portion of the work set forth in those plans. Now, three years in the design and planning stages has yielded the ongoing work. The approved funding of $160,000 is being used to restore and preserve the Receiving Tomb which dates back to 1882 as well as the three tomb vaults which date back even further to 1837. In their current condition, the tomb and vaults pose a significant public safety hazard. This historic preservation project will ensure that these landmarks within one of the oldest sections of the cemetery will persist to be studied and enjoyed by future generations.

Several historic details are being restored as part of this project. The iron doors, small slit windows and the repointing of the entire granite structure. Also, historic Quincy Granite is being sourced to create new caps for the facade to ensure a watertight element over the east facing wall. 

This project is being managed by the Department of Public Works and the Canton Historical Commission. 

The Canton Historical Commission in partnership with the Society are embarking on a Community Preservation Project that protects and preserves the Old English Burying Ground and the Proprietor’s Lot; both burying grounds are located in one location. The "English Graveyard" portion: this is the portion closest to Washington Street is bisected by the asphalt walkway that leads to the "Proprietor's Lot" section. It is the younger portion of the cemetery and the original "English Graveyard" was established after 1754.

The "Proprietor's Lot" portion: this is the area of the oldest burials lies at the top of the hill. The land was used as early as 1700 and the deed was procured in 1741. After the Canton Corner Cemetery was established in 1716, only the descendants of the original proprietors continued to use this portion of the cemetery.

The bulk of this project is intended to clean a total of forty-four (44) historic gravestones. These stones, over time, have advanced biological growth, which obscures and obliterates the carvings. There are ten stones that are in need of advanced repair, and experts will repair and reset these stones.  In the case of the repairs, six stones require washing and resetting, and 10 will require advanced work and repair including the casting of new bases.  Three remaining stones are highly fragmented and will require additional research in order to develop a preservation plan. Finally, two stones that were surveyed in 1995 are missing, and it is assumed that they may be located and reset during this work. 

The Canton Historical Society held a special exhibit at the Canton Public Library as a way to showcase the breadth of nationally recognized artifacts from the collection. On display, the public had a firsthand opportunity to see the Martha Howard Whole Cloth Quilt which is the oldest and perhaps finest of its kind in America. The exhibit was the brainchild of Marie Gibbs, who has tirelessly devoted her passion and energy to preserving our early textile collection. In addition to two quilts., the exhibit also featured the premiere of the Martha Howard Petticoat which had been conserved through a generous grant by the Canton Community Preservation Act (CPA). The petticoat, dating to the early 1820's, had most recently been painstakingly preserved by Windsor Conservation in Dover, MA. The process took almost a year, and now is a resplendent  example of a period dress that was made by one of Canton's leading citizens.

Also on display was the 1822 Crane's Guards Drum that had been conserved by the Society two years ago. By the side of the drum the Society chose to share the Crane's Guard Flag which is the subject of a 2016 CPA  Grant that will conserve and protect this nearly two hundred year-old silk militia flag. The importance of this artifact is that it depicts one of the earliest painted military flags with the Great Seal of Massachusetts on its face. On the obverse is a scene of the Canton Militia mustering at a meeting house with the Great Blue Hill in the background. The flag, once conserved, will be a primary source for scholars and researchers hoping to glean an in-depth understanding of early militias in New England.

Also on display were a series of rare textile samplers., maps and important colonial documents. All of the items were either candidates for preservation or had been recently preserved by experts. The breadth of the collection on display helped illuminate the importance of preserving our local history in the context of regional and national connections.  The Canton Historical Society is proud to share our stories and artifacts with a greater audience, and the public display certainly made great strides in connecting the donations, grants, and gifts with a wider public and the citizens of Canton.