The village of Canajoharie was home to one of a handful of operating "dummy lights" in the United States, located downtown at the intersection of Church, Mohawk and Montgomery Streets (also known as Wagner Square).

After a couple of serious motor vehicle accidents which occurred in 2021, the dummy light was removed from Wagner Square and hasn't been back since due to possible legal risks.

The village was the headquarters for the manufacturing operations of the Beech-Nut baby food company from its founding in 1891 until the plant was closed in March 2011 with production moving to the town of Florida in the same county, on the south side of the river.

[8] In addition, the Bragdon-Lipe House, the Van Alstyne Homestead, the West Hill School, and the United States Post Office are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[9] The current village is located east of the historic Canajoharie, one of two major towns of the Mohawk nation in the late 17th and 18th centuries.

Palatine German settlers, Protestant refugees from religious wars in Europe, were allowed to establish a community in this area in the 1730s.

They had earlier lived in work camps along the Hudson River in Dutchess County, to pay off their passage from England, which was paid by Queen Anne's government.

He had been in the region to survey damage done to nearby Cherry Valley from a destructive raid by Joseph Brant, a noted Mohawk chief allied with the British, and his forces.

Washington stayed the night at Van Alstyne Homestead (sometimes referred to as Fort Rensselaer), a common meeting place.