Canton Corner Historic District
Why it's listed
Canton Corner is a village-center historic district in Canton, Massachusetts, centered on Washington Street and Pleasant Street. It includes 67 contributing resources, among them houses, a church, a former tavern, barns, cemeteries and park land. The oldest buildings are Colonial dwellings, including the David Tilden House of about 1725. Federal-period houses such as the Downes and Hewitt houses, the 1820 Downes Tavern and the 1809 Pequitside estate form the core of the district. The 1824 First Parish church combines Greek Revival and Gothic Revival elements and holds a bell cast by Paul Revere & Son. The district is also linked to the Draper family. Thomas Draper bought the Withington House in 1851 and set up hand-powered knitting machines behind it, starting woolen knitting in Canton. His brother James joined him that year, and later generations of the family left estate properties in the district. Pequitside's 33 acres are now town-owned and used for municipal purposes and recreation.
Significance in brief: The district preserves a village center with Colonial, Federal and Greek Revival buildings, including the best Federal-style tavern in Canton and a church from 1824. It is also tied to the Draper family, who began the woolen knitting industry in Canton in the early 1850s, and to local religious and civic figures.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 09000697, listed September 9, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly Washington St. from Pecunit St. to SW. of Dedham St., and Pleasant St. from Washington St. to Reservoir Rd., Canton |
|---|---|
| County | Norfolk County |
| Listed | September 9, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000697 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Matthew Sullivan, architect, for the Roger Williams House (ca. 1911-1915); otherwise not stated for the district as a whole. |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Federal, Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Landscape Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The David Tilden House has been vacant for many years, and options for renovation and reuse are being explored. Pequitside houses municipal offices and a community meeting place. |
| Acreage | 170 |
| Coordinates | 42.17494, -71.13498 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 09000697.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5033887
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.