An important first step in understanding one of Canton’s oldest and least-known historic places took place this week at the Gridley Cemetery, (1764) where an archaeological team from the University of Massachusetts Boston conducted a preliminary assessment of the site. This work is being conducted under the direction of the Canton Historical Commission through a Community Preservation Grant. 
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On Friday, August 28, John M. Steinberg, Ph.D., Research Scientist with the Fiske Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Massachusetts Boston, accompanied by a graduate student, spent approximately an hour at the cemetery conducting a preliminary walk-through and testing the use of Ground Penetrating Radar, commonly known as GPR.

The purpose of the visit was straightforward but important: could GPR successfully help us understand what remains beneath the surface of the Gridley Cemetery? The early indications are encouraging.

Dr. Steinberg conducted a limited GPR scan to evaluate ground conditions and determine whether the technology is likely to produce useful archaeological information at the site. Based on this preliminary work, we are pleased to report that the prospects for a successful investigation appear quite strong.

If plans proceed as anticipated, we hope a comprehensive archaeological and GPR survey can be undertaken in October 2026.

The Gridley Cemetery occupies approximately 2,304 square feet and represents an important surviving piece of Canton’s colonial landscape. Yet much about the cemetery has been lost to time. The locations of individual graves are largely unknown, gravestones may have disappeared or become buried, and the original organization of the burial ground is no longer readily apparent to someone visiting the property today. 

A comprehensive GPR investigation could begin to change that. Ground Penetrating Radar allows archaeologists to examine variations beneath the ground without excavation. For a historic cemetery, where respect for the people buried there and protection of the site are paramount, this non-invasive technology offers an especially valuable way to better understand the landscape.

The proposed investigation will seek to locate and map possible graves, estimate the number of burials within the cemetery, identify potential buried gravestones or other features, and provide a clearer understanding of how the cemetery was originally organized.

One particularly intriguing question involves Colonel Richard Gridley, the celebrated military engineer associated with the Battle of Bunker Hill and the first Chief Engineer of the Continental Army. Gridley was originally buried here before his remains were later removed to Canton Corner Cemetery. Archaeological evidence may help us better understand the location of his original burial site, although identifying a specific grave with certainty will prove difficult.

The investigation is also an essential part of the larger Gridley Cemetery Preservation Project.
Plans for the property include the installation of historically appropriate fencing and interpretive signage. Before undertaking those improvements, however, we need to know what lies beneath the ground. Fence posts and sign foundations must be located so that they do not inadvertently disturb graves or other archaeological resources. That is why the archaeological work comes first.

The information gathered through the survey will help create a preservation plan grounded in evidence rather than assumption. It will allow future improvements to respect both the historic landscape and the people whose final resting place this became centuries ago.

The project is being advanced as a historic preservation initiative utilizing Community Preservation Act funding, with the goal of protecting the site, documenting its archaeological resources, and ultimately making its history more understandable and accessible to the public.

Friday’s visit lasted only about an hour, but it represented something much larger: the beginning of an effort to scientifically document a place whose history has been hidden beneath the landscape for generations.

There is still considerable work ahead, and GPR does not magically provide names for every grave or answer every historical question. Archaeology is rarely that cooperative. What it can provide is evidence: patterns, anomalies, possible burial shafts, buried features, and a much clearer picture of how people used this small piece of land centuries ago.

If the full investigation takes place this October, we may soon have our first detailed archaeological picture of the Gridley Cemetery and a far better understanding of how to preserve it for generations to come.

We are so pleased to report on the progress of the conservation and preservation of one Canton's hottest artifacts - the Hunneman Hand Tub - one of Canton's first fire engines.  This early piece of fire apparatus was built for Ponkapoag in 1829 and features copper from the Revere & Son Rolling Mill.

The subject of the project is an artifact that was built expressly for the town and delivered into service on August 26, 1829. Having survived over 196 years, the artifact is undergoing conservation and preservation in the hands of a seasoned and highly professional conservator in Pennsylvania who specializes in materials such as wood, metals and leather. It is critical to note that this is a preservation project as opposed to a “restoration” project. The goal is to stabilize and conserve this item so that it can be interpreted and enjoyed by the public for decades to come.

The project features a new wooden cradle under the original pump, removal of varnish with a specially formulated solvent, and the casting of a few parts that had been lost over the years. The project will be done by the end of September. Upon completion, the Hunneman will be on permanent loan to the Paul Revere Heritage - Museum of Discovery and Innovation. Attached are progress photos. Please note that this project is funded by the Community Preservation Act. 

Historical Record
The first recorded instance of a fire engine being located in the town of Canton, Massachusetts is a record from 1825.  Early records from the Hunneman Fire Engine Company of Roxbury, Massachusetts show that a fire engine was constructed and delivered to the Massapoag Woolen Mill, Canton, MA. At the time, the only known woolen mill was the Boston Manufacturing Company (The Stone Factory) located at the intersection of what is today Walpole and Neponset Streets. Number 104 – Massapoag Woolen Mill was delivered on February 19, 1825.
 
The first record found in Annual Town Meeting minutes referring to fire equipment was on April 6, 1829 under an article "to see if the town will vote to purchase one or more engines and to adopt any measures relative thereto." It was voted to appoint a committee of seven to inquire into the expenses of such an action and its desirability. The Committee reported in May that engines would cost $250 each; hose would be 62 1/2 cents per foot and couplings $2.50 per joint. They recommended forming three companies of twenty one "efficient" men each, the majority of whom would be exempt from militia service, that each company be permitted to purchase an engine, and that the Town Treasurer pay each company $200 for the engine. Any cost over the $200 would be contributed by the engine company itself.
 
Two engines were bought, one for Ponkapoag, and one, the Enterprise, for South Canton. In 1833 a third engine was purchased for the Canton Center station. At that time Canton Center was considered to be the area later known as Canton Corner, which was from Eliot street to Randolph Street. South Canton was then what we call today Canton Center and was also known then as "The Village."

Following the spring Town Meeting, the Hunneman company records show that two engines were received by the town on August 26, 1829. The two engines were delivered by ox cart and were numbered No. 132 (Ponkapoag No. 2) and No. 133 (Enterprise No. 3). Records show that the town paid $365.00 cash for No. 132 and $410.00 for No. 133. The overage may be attributed to the hoses and extras that were included with each of the machines.

Over the subsequent years from 1825 through 1891 the No. 132 was in use and moved between Ponkapoag and the fire station located at Canton Corner. In 1891, the Fire Engineers Report stated that there were still two hand engines, one at Ponkapoag and one at Canton Corner. The fire chief described them “things of the past and not worth scrap value.” The machine that we seek to conserve may have been stored in the basement of Memorial Hall sometime before February 1901. By 1907-1908 the town’s inventory of fire apparatus no longer indicates any hand-tubs at any of the town’s engine houses. The Canton Historical Society opened its headquarters building in 1911 and it is likely the Society took possession of the hand tub at that time.

While perhaps as many as five Hunneman fire engines were delivered to the Town of Canton over the years, the only surviving piece of equipment is No. 132. It is an earlier example and closely related to the hand tub that was used at the Revere Copper & Rolling Mill and the Kinsley Iron Works.
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Historical Association
William C. Hunneman was “an enterprising apprentice of Paul Revere.” Paul Revere operated his original foundry in Boston and Hunneman learned the trade of metallurgy and innovation under the eye of the master, Revere. In 1790 Hunneman founded his own business to furnish the necessary hardware to support the leading industries of the day, shipbuilding and clock making. Soon he started to make fire engines, and from 1792 to 1883, the company that bore his name furnished firefighting machines around the globe.

The name “hand tub” or “engine” derives its origin from the fact that the body is, actually, a tub design to hold water. Formed from sheets of copper, turned out by the Canton works of Paul Revere sheathe the bottom of ships, the fire engine was an oblong wooden box, lined with sheets of copper to seal in the water, and a pump was installed to force the water through hoses. The pressure of the hand tub could force water up to 125 feet and was used mainly to contain the spread of fire from neighboring buildings in the event of a fire

Owing to the historical connection to Paul Revere through the apprenticeship and the extreme likelihood that the foundry in Canton provided the copper for the hand tub, this project has a close affinity to the new Museum of Discovery and Innovation at the Paul Revere Heritage Site. The fire engine is a remarkable artifact that shows how the ingenuity, enterprise and scale of manufacturing touched and enabled several industries and the entrepreneurial spirit. The Canton Historical Society is a proud steward of this great artifact. 

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.