Canaan, New Hampshire

Chartered in 1761 by Governor Benning Wentworth, the town was named after the hometown of many early settlers, Canaan, Connecticut, which had been named by Puritans for the biblical land of Canaan. It was settled in the winter of 1766–1767 by John Scofield, who arrived with all his belongings on a hand sled. The land was filled with rocks, making agriculture difficult. The town constructed a broad road for its main street on a stretch of level land. Canaan Union Academy was built on the site and was limited to white students; it operated for the next 20 years. After the academy's closing, residents sympathetic to fugitive slaves operated a station of the Underground Railroad to help the people reach Canada or settle in New England. The Northern Railroad (predecessor of the Boston & Maine Railroad) was constructed to the town in 1847, spurring development. Water powered mills were built on the streams. By 1859, the population had reached 1,682, and Canaan had one gristmill, three lath and clapboard mills, and one tannery. The Canaan train wreck occurred on September 15, 1907. west of Canaan Station, the southbound Quebec to Boston express, crowded with passengers returning from the Sherbrooke Fair, collided head-on with a northbound Boston & Maine freight train. The accident claimed 26 lives, and 17 others were seriously injured. The accident was found to be due to a mistake made by a dispatcher, who mis-identified a train in one of his communications. It remains the train wreck with the largest loss of life in New Hampshire history. On June 2, 1923, the Great Canaan Fire burned 48 homes and businesses, destroying the heart of Canaan Village (East Canaan). ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and are water, comprising 3.20% of the town. The town is crossed by U.S. Route 4 and New Hampshire Route 118. ==Demographics==

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,909 people, 1,588 households, and 1,105 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,930 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.1% White, 0.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.2% some other race, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.8% of the population. There were 1,588 households, of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.0% were headed by married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42, and the average family size was 2.81. In 2014 the largest ancestry groups reported in Canaan were English (17.8%), "American" (17.4%), French or French Canadian (14.2%), and Irish (12.6%). ==Education==

Canaan is the home of Mascoma Valley Regional High School. ==Gallery==

Image:View of the Canaan Fair, Canaan, NH.jpg|View of the Canaan Fair Image:Train Wreck of 1907, Canaan, NH.jpg|Canaan train wreck of 1907 Image:Boston & Maine Railroad Station, Canaan, NH.jpg|Boston & Maine railroad depot in 1911 Image:Old North Church, Canaan, NH.jpg|Old North Church Image:Main Street in Winter, Canaan, NH.jpg|Canaan Village (before 1923 fire) ==Sites of interest==

• Canaan Historical Museum • Canaan Motor Club, auto racetrack • Northern Rail Trail == Notable people ==

• Gavin Bayreuther (born 1994), NHL player • Daniel Blaisdell (1762–1833), US congressman • Henry G. Burleigh (1832–1900), US congressman from New York • Frank Dunklee Currier (1853–1921), US congressman • Joshua Smith (1760–1795), author (Divine Hymns, or Spiritual Songs) • Anna Augusta Truitt (1837–1920), philanthropist, temperance reformer, essayist ==References==