History of the Canton Historical Museum

History Lives!
The Canton Historical Museum today houses one of the best collections of Victoriana in the nation and has been described as a “gem,.” but it wasn’t always a jewel in Collinsville’s crown.
Fred Widen, a pattern maker at the Collins Company when it was a busy factory, collected various items that he felt should be preserved for posterity. When he asked for space in which to display his artifacts, the Collins Company let him use an area in the three-story building where plows had been assembled, painted and shipped. In the ‘30’s the building had a meeting/recreation room for Collins Company employees on the first floor, a bowling alley on the second floor, and a small shooting gallery in the basement. Here was born the Collins Company Museum, with examples of the many varieties of axes, knives, machetes, hammers, shovels, and other edged tools produced by the Collins Company. Mr. Widen’s museum also housed a blacksmith’s forge and tools, a Victorian era barber shop, antique fire trucks, a Civil War steel coffin, and a display of 19th century costumes—most of which are on display today at the Canton Historical Museum. Mr. Widen included an eclectic assemblage of artifacts that interested him or that people had donated. Eventually his collection filled three rooms at the south end of the first floor. The public rarely viewed the museum and then only opon request. The last time was during the Canton Sesquicentennial in 1956.
The disastrous flood of 1955 badly damaged Collins Company buildings near the river, and the Company never fully recovered. In 1966 the Company’s equipment was sold. In November of that year, a group of Canton residents formed the Canton Historical Society, Inc., fearing that Fred Widen’s collection would be dispersed and lost to the town. The purpose of the Society was (and still is) to share with others the history and growth of the Town of Canton and the community of Collinsville in order to provide a better understanding of the town and a better appreciation of our American heritage. The search for new members and funds, as well as lots of planning and much negotiation, began immediately.
The first officers of the Canton Historical Society, Inc., were: President: Guy F. Whitney; Vice President, Clair M. Elston; Secretary, Mrs. Robert G. Menasian; Treasurer, Raymond B. Green. The directors were: The four officers, and Ernest A. Inglis, Jr., Robert Ferguson, Jr., Daniel Gutman, Mrs. Arthur Sweeton, Jr., Mrs. Hortense French, Mrs. G. W. Heublein, L. K. Porritt, Carl F. Svenson, Jr., George A. Latimer, Joseph T. O’Connor, Lawrence S. Carlton, Raymond Anderson, Mrs. Whitney Jennison, H. H. Allen Morris, Donald J. Viering, Raymond H. Morris, James Barraclough, James Lee Loomis, Jr., Hector Prud’homme and Warren Horton.
Tom Perry, a local industrialist, had purchased the Collins Company land and vacant buildings in 1967, forming The Collinsville Company. That company in 1969 gave the Historical Society a long-term lease and permission to begin renovations on the first floor of the former plow building, including the Collins Company Museum.
Then, under the leadership of new president Avis ‘Honey’ Baer, began the miracle of cooperative volunteerism. In July of 1969 the building had no water, no heat, broken toilet facilities, a leaky roof, inadequate electricity, and both the interior and exterior of the building needed extensive renovation. The Society had less than $100 in the bank.
The Society decided to clear enough space in the entrance room to hold a reception, its purpose to show the deplorable condition of the facility before much work was done. On August 3, over 150 persons came to the reception. They were interested but dubious, but a source of volunteers in addition to the Society’s staff.
A huge number of volunteers worked countless hours on many exhibits and on the building itself. Able volunteers with skills in many areas showed up to help. All of the some 3,500 artifacts in Fred Widen’s collection were cleaned, catalogued and organized. September improvements included new toilet facilities with hot and cold water and the repair (again) of the ever-leaking roof. In November the toilets and kitchen were painted, walls reconstructed and stained and artifacts prepared for display. Many people donated additional items for the new museum, and more space was needed to display them.
Partitions and showcases were moved or removed. December’s weather put a stop to the work, except for that of the work crews on the heating system. By February 1, 1970, the heat was on and work crews were on the job from 7:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. every Thursday and from 1:00 on Sundays.
Funds were ever in short supply. Townwide membership drives started immediately after the August, ’69, “before” open house and continued. Contributions from many local organizations and a Christmas toy sale helped. The Canton Lions Club sponsored a benefit dinner dance, a “Heritage Ball”, at the Avon Country Club.
The Museum opened its 1970 ‘season’ with a reception and open house on April 5, 1970. Completed displays included: The Collins Company, People and Places, Sewing Center, Home and Hearth, General Store, Toys, Blacksmith Shop, Barber Shop, Wheelwright area, Lighting, What-Not Corner, Gun Display, Identification Table (can you guess what this is?), Victorian Room, China and Glass, Locks and Keys. A Collectors’ Corner was established for people interested in buying or selling antiques.
The Museum then had 11 guides, under the direction of Mrs. John Repp. The first curator was Mrs. David (Orease) Repp and Gladys Diters, assistant curator. Admission was 75 cents for adults and 25 cents for children and seniors. The Museum was open Mon., Wed., and Fri. from 12-4 and Sun. from 1-4. The giant step had been taken; the Museum was alive and well, thanks to the sustained work of unnumbered unselfish volunteers.
The next year a section of the old Canton Post Office from Canton Street was added next to the country store exhibit. The lower floor was released to the Museum for exhibition of antique and Victorian farm tools. The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving granted $1,870 for electrical equipment. The Lions Club sponsored another “Heritage Ball.” A Christmas boutique netted over $600.
In 1972 came a new exhibit, a Victorian parlor. The Museum hosted the Cherry Brook Garden Club’s flower show. Weaving classes were started. Museum guides conducted student tours. Another “Heritage Ball” benefitted both the Museum and Canton Little League. 1974 the first flea market took place, also an auction at Canton’s Auction Barn and the first Christmas boutique. Membership drives were ongoing and the membership increased, but funds continued to be in short supply.
In 1975 a matching grant of $5,000 was received from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The grant was successfully matched with funds earned by the Museum, and the money was used to renovate the second floor of the Museum. In 1976 the Museum’s float, “A Victorian Garden,” won the $50 first prize in the bicentennial parade. The Museum hosted a champagne reception. Repairs were made to the (still leaking) roof and gutters, and the bowling alleys floored over. The Museum continued acquisitions as gifts, on loan or procured with some Yankee “horse trading.” Jane Goedecke and others catalogued library items. The Museum held Members Dinners and Champagne Receptions.
President Avis “Honey” Baer was the driving force behind the museum until her death in 1977. She was honored with signs at the Town Hall dedicated to her “for her many years of selfless devotion to the cultural and esthetic betterment of the Town of Canton.” Paul Wittmer, the next president, continued Honey Baer’s excellent work.
He instituted a “Distinguished Speakers” series. The farm tools exhibit in the basement grew rapidly. Canton Benefit Productions and the Museum co-sponsored CBP’s production, “Oliver,” and the next year, “Irene.” There were more Champagne Receptions and Members’ Dinners. School tours continued to be given as part of the Museum’s desire to educate.
In 1979 the Farmington Valley Railway Society and the Canton Historical Society by joint effort opened a diorama showing Collinsville and its railroads circa 1900. This awesome project, HO gauge, showed the Central New England Railroad and the Collinsville branch of the Canal Line of the New Haven Railroad, with Collinsville buildings made to scale. Planned was the addition of other towns serviced by the railroads: New Hartford, Simsbury, Tariffville, East Granby, Bloomfield—even Hartford and Springfield, in character, rather than to scale distance-wise. This diorama was, and still is, a tremendous drawing card for the Museum, and on most Thursday evenings then and now enthusiastic model railroaders work on it. In 1981 the Museum hosted a Model Train Show.
In that year Robert T. Selb became curator. The next year the Museum received a grant of $20,000 from the State Department of Economic Development to be used for the removal of the layer of deteriorating stucco over the vertical clapboards on the exterior of the building. A Champagne Reception celebrated the completion of virtually all the trackage and electrical work on the railroad diorama—with a barbershop quartet for entertainment.
And the beat went on—open houses, members’ dinners, picnics, membership drives, tours for a great variety of groups, public lectures, tag sales and Christmas boutiques. Lots of good publicity led to a growing recognition of Collinsville’s gem by visitors from other towns, states, and even countries. Newsletters informed people and also told of needs, usually soon filled. Various groups held meetings at the Museum, which usually included a tour.
In 1992 a fund was started for a much-needed new furnace. Helen Kilburn and Mary Ellen Cosker, curator at that time, published the first-ever Museum calendar, which was an instant success. The Museum received the gift of an electric typewriter and a copier. There was talk in Collinsville of making a walking trail along the river. In 1993 videos of the Museum went on sale. The Museum library bought U.S. census records for 1790-1920 on tape. Memorial Funds were established. The Lions Club began work on the bandstand now in the basement, replicating the Boys’ Band of 1932, featuring Fred Widen’s sousaphone. The Museum entered the electronic age with the acquisition of a computer.
In 1995 the Museum hosted a “Victorian Tea Stroll.” The library received a collection of books from the Lewis Mills estate. The book, “Canton Sesquicentennial 1806-1956,” was reprinted. This is a short illustrated history of Canton and includes information on buildings over 100 years old in 1956.
1997 saw the first Sam Collins Day in town. The Museum held open house all day and also sold Sam Collins Day first-day covers in the Museum post office. The new furnace was in, and there was talk of heating the basement (hasn’t happened yet). Jim Keane, safecracker, managed to open an old safe in the Museum post office and found exciting material on Silas Brooks, the balloonist. Gifts of old diaries led to transcriptions of them (by volunteers with magnifying glasses) now available in the Museum library. The 1865 slate roof definitely needed to be replaced. The rainy day ‘bucket brigades’ were tiring of their job and fearful of water damage. A fund was established for the purpose and the search for grants and funds began.
The Museum profited the next year from a bus tour of old homes in the Canton area, and the sale of mugs with pictures of local scenes The building and maintenance volunteers continued insulating, replacing rotten wood, painting and repairing (365 hours!) Various lecturers spoke, the Museum held a tag sale and a Christmas boutique, and the annual calendar was published. On Sam Collins Day the Museum held an open house and also had a booth at the Canton Spring location. The Canton Camera Club began an annual Sam Collins Day program at the Museum, showing slides of old Canton scenes continuously.
1999 was a red-letter year in other respects. A collection of Collins Company machetes that had been given to the Shelburne Museum in Vermont when the Company sold was returned to the Museum, thanks to Sue and Sandy Hunt. Roy Olson, former Collins Company employee, was the obvious choice to catalog and protect these valuable items.
In 2000, the railroad diorama continued to pull in visitors and the railroad men proudly showed their 50,000 ties, 40,000 spikes, 5,000 feet of wiring, hand-made models of buildings, scenery created from 300 pounds of plaster material., and, of course, the trains traveling along their appointed routes. CPTV interviewed Dr. Larry Carlton at the Museum along with Cindy Griggs, and many people saw the program on TV.
The next year, 2001, the Museum became truly up-to-date with a website created by Tom Kutz, showing many rooms of the Museum, in color, and giving current information about coming events. The site is www.cantonmuseum.org . In April American Heritage magazine published an article on Canton/Collinsville with a lot of information on the Museum. The May Connecticut Magazine had a similar article. Donna Miller worked long and hard on a picture book, “Canton and Collinsville,” one of the Images of America series. The book came out near the end of the year and has sold very well. Funds came in in sufficient amounts to start work on a new slate roof in September, and by December the job was done except for the porch and portico and was soon completed.
Last year the Museum hosted an ever-increasing number of visitors, in part due to the new website and the new Rails-to-Trails hiking/biking trail that passes close to the Museum.
Many people visit the Museum library, ever-growing with information on town history, family genealogies, scrap books, transcriptions of old diaries, photographs, high school yearbooks, tapes, Collins Company history and a great deal more.
The Museum has had a well-stocked gift shop for many years. It now offers mugs with Canton scenes, old-fashioned toys, photographs and prints, walking sticks, Museum tee shirts and caps, and much, much more. Publications on sale include “Tunxis Valley Tales” and “Tunxis Valley Days,” by L. K. Porritt, the Canton/Collinsville picture book as well as others in the series from Burlington, New Hartford, Avon and Farmington, the annual calendar, the Sesquicentennial book about town history and old houses, “Collins Machetes and Bowies 1845-1965” by Daniel Edward Henry, “Country Depots in the Connecticut Hills,” by Robert F. Lord, at present a guide at the Museum, and many others of interest to historians and Museum visitors.
The officers and directors of the Canton Historical Society have provided leadership and continuity over the years. Presidents were: Guy F. Whitney, Avis ‘Honey’ Baer, Paul Wittmer, Carl Svenson and, since 2001, Raymond B. Green. Back in 1966 Ray Anderson was appointed ‘custodian’ of artifacts. The first curator was Orease Repp with Gladys Diters assistant curator. Other curators were: Bob Selb, Vi Waite and Doug Robbins (co-curator with Mary Ellen Cosker).. Kathleen ‘Babe’ Woolam was appointed assistant curator when Mary Ellen was the sole curator and is now the curator. The present officers are: Paul Therrien, president; Linea Eickson, vice president; JoAnn Jurgen, secretary, and Richard Sanger, treasurer. Hats off to all the unsung officers, directors and volunteers. There would be no Museum today except for the dedicated efforts of the many, many people who created it and have maintained it—some of them for the entire span of its 37-year existence.

	History of the Canton Historical Museum By Peg Carlton
History Lives! The Canton Historical Museum today houses one of the best collections of Victoriana in the nation and has been described as a “gem,.” but it wasn’t always a jewel in Collinsville’s crown. Fred Widen, a pattern maker at the Collins Company when it was a busy factory, collected various items that he felt should be preserved for posterity. When he asked for space in which to display his artifacts, the Collins Company let him use an area in the three-story building where plows had been assembled, painted and shipped. In the ‘30’s the building had a meeting/recreation room for Collins Company employees on the first floor, a bowling alley on the second floor, and a small shooting gallery in the basement. Here was born the Collins Company Museum, with examples of the many varieties of axes, knives, machetes, hammers, shovels, and other edged tools produced by the Collins Company. Mr. Widen’s museum also housed a blacksmith’s forge and tools, a Victorian era barber shop, antique fire trucks, a Civil War steel coffin, and a display of 19th century costumes—most of which are on display today at the Canton Historical Museum. Mr. Widen included an eclectic assemblage of artifacts that interested him or that people had donated. Eventually his collection filled three rooms at the south end of the first floor. The public rarely viewed the museum and then only opon request. The last time was during the Canton Sesquicentennial in 1956. The disastrous flood of 1955 badly damaged Collins Company buildings near the river, and the Company never fully recovered. In 1966 the Company’s equipment was sold. In November of that year, a group of Canton residents formed the Canton Historical Society, Inc., fearing that Fred Widen’s collection would be dispersed and lost to the town. The purpose of the Society was (and still is) to share with others the history and growth of the Town of Canton and the community of Collinsville in order to provide a better understanding of the town and a better appreciation of our American heritage. The search for new members and funds, as well as lots of planning and much negotiation, began immediately. The first officers of the Canton Historical Society, Inc., were: President: Guy F. Whitney; Vice President, Clair M. Elston; Secretary, Mrs. Robert G. Menasian; Treasurer, Raymond B. Green. The directors were: The four officers, and Ernest A. Inglis, Jr., Robert Ferguson, Jr., Daniel Gutman, Mrs. Arthur Sweeton, Jr., Mrs. Hortense French, Mrs. G. W. Heublein, L. K. Porritt, Carl F. Svenson, Jr., George A. Latimer, Joseph T. O’Connor, Lawrence S. Carlton, Raymond Anderson, Mrs. Whitney Jennison, H. H. Allen Morris, Donald J. Viering, Raymond H. Morris, James Barraclough, James Lee Loomis, Jr., Hector Prud’homme and Warren Horton. Tom Perry, a local industrialist, had purchased the Collins Company land and vacant buildings in 1967, forming The Collinsville Company. That company in 1969 gave the Historical Society a long-term lease and permission to begin renovations on the first floor of the former plow building, including the Collins Company Museum. Then, under the leadership of new president Avis ‘Honey’ Baer, began the miracle of cooperative volunteerism. In July of 1969 the building had no water, no heat, broken toilet facilities, a leaky roof, inadequate electricity, and both the interior and exterior of the building needed extensive renovation. The Society had less than $100 in the bank. The Society decided to clear enough space in the entrance room to hold a reception, its purpose to show the deplorable condition of the facility before much work was done. On August 3, over 150 persons came to the reception. They were interested but dubious, but a source of volunteers in addition to the Society’s staff. A huge number of volunteers worked countless hours on many exhibits and on the building itself. Able volunteers with skills in many areas showed up to help. All of the some 3,500 artifacts in Fred Widen’s collection were cleaned, catalogued and organized. September improvements included new toilet facilities with hot and cold water and the repair (again) of the ever-leaking roof. In November the toilets and kitchen were painted, walls reconstructed and stained and artifacts prepared for display. Many people donated additional items for the new museum, and more space was needed to display them. Partitions and showcases were moved or removed. December’s weather put a stop to the work, except for that of the work crews on the heating system. By February 1, 1970, the heat was on and work crews were on the job from 7:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. every Thursday and from 1:00 on Sundays. Funds were ever in short supply. Townwide membership drives started immediately after the August, ’69, “before” open house and continued. Contributions from many local organizations and a Christmas toy sale helped. The Canton Lions Club sponsored a benefit dinner dance, a “Heritage Ball”, at the Avon Country Club. The Museum opened its 1970 ‘season’ with a reception and open house on April 5, 1970. Completed displays included: The Collins Company, People and Places, Sewing Center, Home and Hearth, General Store, Toys, Blacksmith Shop, Barber Shop, Wheelwright area, Lighting, What-Not Corner, Gun Display, Identification Table (can you guess what this is?), Victorian Room, China and Glass, Locks and Keys. A Collectors’ Corner was established for people interested in buying or selling antiques. The Museum then had 11 guides, under the direction of Mrs. John Repp. The first curator was Mrs. David (Orease) Repp and Gladys Diters, assistant curator. Admission was 75 cents for adults and 25 cents for children and seniors. The Museum was open Mon., Wed., and Fri. from 12-4 and Sun. from 1-4. The giant step had been taken; the Museum was alive and well, thanks to the sustained work of unnumbered unselfish volunteers. The next year a section of the old Canton Post Office from Canton Street was added next to the country store exhibit. The lower floor was released to the Museum for exhibition of antique and Victorian farm tools. The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving granted $1,870 for electrical equipment. The Lions Club sponsored another “Heritage Ball.” A Christmas boutique netted over $600. In 1972 came a new exhibit, a Victorian parlor. The Museum hosted the Cherry Brook Garden Club’s flower show. Weaving classes were started. Museum guides conducted student tours. Another “Heritage Ball” benefitted both the Museum and Canton Little League. 1974 the first flea market took place, also an auction at Canton’s Auction Barn and the first Christmas boutique. Membership drives were ongoing and the membership increased, but funds continued to be in short supply. In 1975 a matching grant of $5,000 was received from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The grant was successfully matched with funds earned by the Museum, and the money was used to renovate the second floor of the Museum. In 1976 the Museum’s float, “A Victorian Garden,” won the $50 first prize in the bicentennial parade. The Museum hosted a champagne reception. Repairs were made to the (still leaking) roof and gutters, and the bowling alleys floored over. The Museum continued acquisitions as gifts, on loan or procured with some Yankee “horse trading.” Jane Goedecke and others catalogued library items. The Museum held Members Dinners and Champagne Receptions. President Avis “Honey” Baer was the driving force behind the museum until her death in 1977. She was honored with signs at the Town Hall dedicated to her “for her many years of selfless devotion to the cultural and esthetic betterment of the Town of Canton.” Paul Wittmer, the next president, continued Honey Baer’s excellent work. He instituted a “Distinguished Speakers” series. The farm tools exhibit in the basement grew rapidly. Canton Benefit Productions and the Museum co-sponsored CBP’s production, “Oliver,” and the next year, “Irene.” There were more Champagne Receptions and Members’ Dinners. School tours continued to be given as part of the Museum’s desire to educate. In 1979 the Farmington Valley Railway Society and the Canton Historical Society by joint effort opened a diorama showing Collinsville and its railroads circa 1900. This awesome project, HO gauge, showed the Central New England Railroad and the Collinsville branch of the Canal Line of the New Haven Railroad, with Collinsville buildings made to scale. Planned was the addition of other towns serviced by the railroads: New Hartford, Simsbury, Tariffville, East Granby, Bloomfield—even Hartford and Springfield, in character, rather than to scale distance-wise. This diorama was, and still is, a tremendous drawing card for the Museum, and on most Thursday evenings then and now enthusiastic model railroaders work on it. In 1981 the Museum hosted a Model Train Show. In that year Robert T. Selb became curator. The next year the Museum received a grant of $20,000 from the State Department of Economic Development to be used for the removal of the layer of deteriorating stucco over the vertical clapboards on the exterior of the building. A Champagne Reception celebrated the completion of virtually all the trackage and electrical work on the railroad diorama—with a barbershop quartet for entertainment. And the beat went on—open houses, members’ dinners, picnics, membership drives, tours for a great variety of groups, public lectures, tag sales and Christmas boutiques. Lots of good publicity led to a growing recognition of Collinsville’s gem by visitors from other towns, states, and even countries. Newsletters informed people and also told of needs, usually soon filled. Various groups held meetings at the Museum, which usually included a tour. In 1992 a fund was started for a much-needed new furnace. Helen Kilburn and Mary Ellen Cosker, curator at that time, published the first-ever Museum calendar, which was an instant success. The Museum received the gift of an electric typewriter and a copier. There was talk in Collinsville of making a walking trail along the river. In 1993 videos of the Museum went on sale. The Museum library bought U.S. census records for 1790-1920 on tape. Memorial Funds were established. The Lions Club began work on the bandstand now in the basement, replicating the Boys’ Band of 1932, featuring Fred Widen’s sousaphone. The Museum entered the electronic age with the acquisition of a computer. In 1995 the Museum hosted a “Victorian Tea Stroll.” The library received a collection of books from the Lewis Mills estate. The book, “Canton Sesquicentennial 1806-1956,” was reprinted. This is a short illustrated history of Canton and includes information on buildings over 100 years old in 1956. 1997 saw the first Sam Collins Day in town. The Museum held open house all day and also sold Sam Collins Day first-day covers in the Museum post office. The new furnace was in, and there was talk of heating the basement (hasn’t happened yet). Jim Keane, safecracker, managed to open an old safe in the Museum post office and found exciting material on Silas Brooks, the balloonist. Gifts of old diaries led to transcriptions of them (by volunteers with magnifying glasses) now available in the Museum library. The 1865 slate roof definitely needed to be replaced. The rainy day ‘bucket brigades’ were tiring of their job and fearful of water damage. A fund was established for the purpose and the search for grants and funds began. The Museum profited the next year from a bus tour of old homes in the Canton area, and the sale of mugs with pictures of local scenes The building and maintenance volunteers continued insulating, replacing rotten wood, painting and repairing (365 hours!) Various lecturers spoke, the Museum held a tag sale and a Christmas boutique, and the annual calendar was published. On Sam Collins Day the Museum held an open house and also had a booth at the Canton Spring location. The Canton Camera Club began an annual Sam Collins Day program at the Museum, showing slides of old Canton scenes continuously. 1999 was a red-letter year in other respects. A collection of Collins Company machetes that had been given to the Shelburne Museum in Vermont when the Company sold was returned to the Museum, thanks to Sue and Sandy Hunt. Roy Olson, former Collins Company employee, was the obvious choice to catalog and protect these valuable items. In 2000, the railroad diorama continued to pull in visitors and the railroad men proudly showed their 50,000 ties, 40,000 spikes, 5,000 feet of wiring, hand-made models of buildings, scenery created from 300 pounds of plaster material., and, of course, the trains traveling along their appointed routes. CPTV interviewed Dr. Larry Carlton at the Museum along with Cindy Griggs, and many people saw the program on TV. The next year, 2001, the Museum became truly up-to-date with a website created by Tom Kutz, showing many rooms of the Museum, in color, and giving current information about coming events. The site is www.cantonmuseum.org . In April American Heritage magazine published an article on Canton/Collinsville with a lot of information on the Museum. The May Connecticut Magazine had a similar article. Donna Miller worked long and hard on a picture book, “Canton and Collinsville,” one of the Images of America series. The book came out near the end of the year and has sold very well. Funds came in in sufficient amounts to start work on a new slate roof in September, and by December the job was done except for the porch and portico and was soon completed. Last year the Museum hosted an ever-increasing number of visitors, in part due to the new website and the new Rails-to-Trails hiking/biking trail that passes close to the Museum. Many people visit the Museum library, ever-growing with information on town history, family genealogies, scrap books, transcriptions of old diaries, photographs, high school yearbooks, tapes, Collins Company history and a great deal more. The Museum has had a well-stocked gift shop for many years. It now offers mugs with Canton scenes, old-fashioned toys, photographs and prints, walking sticks, Museum tee shirts and caps, and much, much more. Publications on sale include “Tunxis Valley Tales” and “Tunxis Valley Days,” by L. K. Porritt, the Canton/Collinsville picture book as well as others in the series from Burlington, New Hartford, Avon and Farmington, the annual calendar, the Sesquicentennial book about town history and old houses, “Collins Machetes and Bowies 1845-1965” by Daniel Edward Henry, “Country Depots in the Connecticut Hills,” by Robert F. Lord, at present a guide at the Museum, and many others of interest to historians and Museum visitors. The officers and directors of the Canton Historical Society have provided leadership and continuity over the years. Presidents were: Guy F. Whitney, Avis ‘Honey’ Baer, Paul Wittmer, Carl Svenson and, since 2001, Raymond B. Green. Back in 1966 Ray Anderson was appointed ‘custodian’ of artifacts. The first curator was Orease Repp with Gladys Diters assistant curator. Other curators were: Bob Selb, Vi Waite and Doug Robbins (co-curator with Mary Ellen Cosker).. Kathleen ‘Babe’ Woolam was appointed assistant curator when Mary Ellen was the sole curator and is now the curator. The present officers are: Paul Therrien, president; Linea Eickson, vice president; JoAnn Jurgen, secretary, and Richard Sanger, treasurer. Hats off to all the unsung officers, directors and volunteers. There would be no Museum today except for the dedicated efforts of the many, many people who created it and have maintained it—some of them for the entire span of its 37-year existence.

History of the Canton Historical Museum

By Peg Carlton