As time passed, the traditional trades of farmers, loggers, craftsmen and manufacturers were joined by folks that traveled by rail and later by car to share in the bounty of Canaan’s lakes, mountains, vistas and community spirit. A deep support of education came with these settlers, and rooted itself here.
In March 1835, 28 white students and 14 black students commenced classes at the newly established Noyes Academy in Canaan. This Academy was the first educational institution that assured that education was accessible to all regardless of race.
In 1839, The Union Academy began in the building that now houses the Museum near the Canaan Street Beach.
Before the Great Northern Railroad came to Canaan in 1847, the Village area was known as East Canaan.
Most of the Village was originally part of the Hutchinson family farm. Mr. Levi Hutchinson, a hatter by trade, brought his wife and three children to Canaan from Pembroke, New Hampshire. His house, built by Asa Whittier, was where the post office is now located.
In 1841, Levi’s son Richard married Mary Sanborn and gained possession of his father’s farm. Expansion in East Canaan (Canaan Village) was at first stimulated by the nearby Fourth New Hampshire Turnpike.
In 1844, plans were made to lay tracks for the railroad from Concord, New Hampshire to White River Junction, Vermont. For two years, workers blasted through ledges at Rams Head and the Summit to lay the rail for the railroad.
On November 17, 1847 the first train passed through Canaan, with the Honorable Daniel Webster on board. Richard Hutchinson’s offer of land was quickly accepted by railroad officials and a rail station was built at the end of Depot Street. The first station agent, Caleb S. Putnam, had been a driver on the stage route. He kept his job as Canaan’s Station Agent for over twenty years.
Once the railroad began operation, the Village grew quickly. Main Street was laid out in 1848 and began on what today is known as Depot Street. On the Common Road, once called Mechanic Street, but originally named Willow Street was laid out in 1853. The Methodist Church was completed in 1861 and a new school was built on School Street. By 1859, when the population was 1,682, Canaan had one gristmill, three lath and clapboard mills, and one tannery. The Village had shops for shoes, tin, woodworking, and harnesses. There was a hotel, a blacksmith, and a wheelright. The Village had become the Town’s trade center.
This photo, though showing a flood, demonstrates just how built up the Village was by 1896.
