A history of Canton,
since 1825
Postcards, papers and photographs of Canton from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Canton was founded in 1825 by settler Isaac Swan, who believed his new town and Canton, China, were antipodes.
Swan, his infant child, and three other people died in a devastating tornado in June 1835. "Isaac Swan and his child were found in the wreckage of their cabin, the baby dying in its mother's arms," leading some to conclude that the tornado represented divine retribution for the city allowing a circus performance the previous week. The city was hit by another tornado, this one an F-3, on July 23, 1975. Two people were killed, and the storm, deemed the 1975 Canton Tornado, caused major damage to the downtown area.
On September 13, 1967, Los Angeles rock band The Doors played a concert at Canton High School.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Canton’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District …, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Canton
See all 20 →
Canton, decade by decade
CommonsAmerican Red Cross - Groups - Canton, Ill., War Activities.…1917
CommonsCeremonies - Illinois thru Massachusetts - American Red Cro…1917
CommonsCeremonies - Illinois thru Massachusetts - Canton, Ill., wa…1917
CommonsCeremonies - Illinois thru Massachusetts - Canton, Ill., wa…1917
CommonsCeremonies - Illinois thru Massachusetts - Canton, Ill., wa…1917
CommonsFlags - Service Flags - Canton, Illinois, war activities. M…1917
LOCForging steel into plowshares, plant of Parlin & Orndorf Co19171970s
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Illinois - Fulton County - Canton - ED 29-8, ED 29-9, ED 29-10, ED 29-11, ED 29… (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (11) and the Library of Congress (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.