George T. Comeau - Canton

The most prominent geographic landmark in Canton is perhaps the Great Blue Hill. The earliest settlements that extended from Dorchester were in this section of the northernmost boundaries. Many woodland paths still exist through the Blue Hill Reservation. This postcard from 1912 welcomes visitors to Canton. (Courtesy of the Canton Public Library, Daniel Keleher Collection.)

Great Blue Hill was the name that was given by early European explorers who noticed the blue tint of the geography in the distance. This photocard was published by E. Everett Rhodes, Norwood, Publishers and is postmarked 1906. (Courtesy of the Canton Public Library, Daniel Keleher Collection.)

Long before Route 128 intersected the area, the base of the Great Blue Hill was dotted with farms and pastures that supported local families. By 1954, the highway project forced the removal and in some cases the relocation of dozens of ancient homes and barns. This card was made in Germany by Reichner Brothers and is dated between 1906 and 1914.

Atop the summit of the Great Blue Hill at 635 feet is the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory. Founded in 1885 by Abbott Lawrence Rotch as a private scientific center for the study and measurement of the atmosphere, it was the site of many pioneering weather experiments and discoveries. The earliest kite soundings of the atmosphere in North America in the 1890s and the development of the radiosonde in the 1930s occurred here. The observatory is a national historic landmark. These cards show the evolution of the structure. Above is a view from 1907 showing the west wing that housed the new library upstairs and storage for kites downstairs and bedrooms. The card below, dated 1916, shows the 1908 renovation in which the two-story stone tower was torn down and replaced by the present three-story concrete tower.

Laid out in 1892 by Charles Eliot, the Metropolitan Parks Commission purchased the lands of Blue Hills Reservation in 1893 as one of the first metropolitan parks set aside for public recreation in the United States. More than 7,000 acres make up the reservation, which is comprised of 22 hills. A great variety of plant and animal life thrive in the diverse habitats, including several rare and endangered species in Massachusetts, including the timber rattlesnake. In Colonial days, there was an abundance of rattlesnakes in the Blue Hill area, and Dr. Abel Puffer of Stoughton published a cure in 1770 that he had found successful on two patients, a horse and a dog. This view from 1908 shows a rustic bridge across one of the many streams that flow through the Blue Hill Reservation. The sender opines that Canton is as dead as ever. (Courtesy of the Canton Public Library, Daniel Keleher Collection.)