The Paleo-Indian site Wamsutta, radiocarbon dated to 12,140 years before present,[2] is located within the bounds of modern day Canton at Signal Hill.

At the time of the Puritan migration to New England in the early 1600s, Canton was seasonally inhabited by the Neponset band of Massachusett under the leadership of sachem Chickatawbut.

From the 1630s to the 1670s, increasing encroachment by year-round English settlers on lands traditionally inhabited only part of the year, devastating virgin soil epidemics, and English colonial policy pushed native people in to Praying Towns, a precursor to modern day Indian reservations.

In 1674, King Philip's War led to significant depopulation of Ponkapoag, which found itself on the fault lines of one of the bloodiest conflicts in North American history,[3] and in October 1675 those Praying Indians that remained were forcibly removed to Deer Island by order of the Massachusetts General Court.

After the war, in part because of the loss of life and the fleeing of native refugees north to join the Wabanaki Confederacy, the General Court disbanded 10 of the original 14 towns in 1677 and placed the remaining four, including Ponkapoag, under the supervision of colonists.

Over the next 100 years, while Ponkapoag remained an official entity, the loss of self-determination and privatization of collective lands led to the gradual intermixing of native and settler populations in the area.

In addition to being a prominent Canton citizen, Elijah Dunbar was the first president of the Stoughton Musical Society from 1786 to 1808.

The Neponset River forms the boundary between Canton and its western neighbors: Norwood, Westwood, and Dedham.

Canton borders the towns of Dedham, Milton, Norwood, Randolph, Sharon, Stoughton, Westwood and the Hyde Park neighborhood in the city of Boston.

The Blue Hills Regional Technical School and the Canton campus of Massasoit Community College are located within the town as well.

Clarke is the oldest school for the deaf in the country that teaches children to lip-read and speak orally, rather than use sign language; its main campus is located 80 miles to the west in Northampton.

Annually each spring, and as necessary, the voters gather to discuss matters such as zoning, schools, public works, recreational facilities, the budget, taxes and bond issues.

Property taxes on residential and other land, buildings and improvements, and transfers from the state government, are two important sources of revenue for the town.

Canton maintains an Executive Office, responsible for maintenance and implementation of all policies and procedures, updating the administrative code and all legal, personal and town wide planning matters.

[32] The Canton Police Department was officially formed in 1875, with four men working limited part-time hours.

[33] The original reconstruction project cost $5.9M to renovate the 150-year-old building and then required additional repairs shortly after the grand opening, when the floor began to buckle due to weight.

South of Canton, it leads to Providence, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York City, Washington, D.C. and ultimately to Miami, Florida.

South of Canton, it travels to Stoughton, continuing into Rhode Island, through Newport and ending in southwestern RI.

From there, it goes south through the easternmost corner of Canton, running roughly parallel to Route 138 as far as Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

Of note, on March 25, 2008, a runaway box car crashed into a MBTA train at Canton Junction station injuring 150 people on board.

A German American Partnership high school exchange program has been operated between Canton and Bocholt, Germany since 1977.