The St. Lawrence County Historical Association (SLCHA) will host a tour of tour of some of downtown Canton’s most interesting and significant sites with local historian John Austin, on Sunday, April 30th.
The tour will include famous residents like Judd Rushton and Clapp Bailey, as well as some lesser-known history of important locations in the town that are no longer in existence. Buildings will be viewed from the outside and in some cases, historic images will stand in where little evidence of a site remains.
Tour stops include these current or former locations: Original Methodist Church, Hodskin House (pictured, 1865), A.C. Low House, Judd Rushton House and Canoe Factories, Clapp Bailey Blacksmith Shop, Old Fire Engine House, Henry D. Kip House, Ben Butterfield House, Old School House Lot and Old Baptist Church.
John Austin is a historian, researcher, and writer living in De Kalb, NY. He taught middle and high school students for over 30 years, traveling extensively before returning to St. Lawrence County. John’s first book St. Lawrence County in the War of 1812: Folly and Mischief was published in 2013; it can be purchased at the SLCHA gift shop. Austin is completing a second book – on the history of the Parish Family in St. Lawrence County.
Attendees will meet at the SLCHA main entrance. The tour will begin at 2 pm and last approximately 1.5 hours. Registration is $5 per person, and can be completed by calling (315) 386-8133, or emailing carlene@slcha.org.
The SLCHA is located at 3 E. Main Street, in Canton. For more information visit their website.
Illustration of Hodskin House courtesy S. N. Beers Publisher.
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