The town of North Canaan, which includes Canaan village, was settled in 1738, and cut off from the town of Canaan in 1858. It consists of a plain along the Housatonic, with the valley of Blackberry River coming in from the east, bordered by picturesque hills. There are extensive limestone deposits, left by the sea, which have been quarried for lime and marble. The manufacture of pig iron was for many years the most important industry. One of the largest of the Borden condensed milk plants is located here.
North Canaan is dominated by the sharp peak of Canaan Mountain, which thrusts out northwest into the valley, towering above it about a thousand feet. The trail up to the top of the cliffs may be reached by climbing from U. S. 7 over Church Hill, or by taking Blackberry River Rd. and cutting through the fields just west of a grove of pine. There is a remarkable view up and down the Housatonic Valley, and across to Bear Mt. and the Taconics. The valley below is floored by limestone, and dotted with schist and quartzite ridges.
As we approach Canaan Village on U. S. 7, the Old Donglas Place lies 1/4 mile to the west across the R. R. The most interesting of the landmarks in the village is the Lawrence House, on the west side of Elm St. (U. S. 7) built by Capt. Isaac Lawrence in 1751 and originally used as a tavern. The traveler should also note the fine Gothic Clock Tower recentily built for Christ Episcopal Church. The pre-Revolutionary Gillette Place lies 3/4 mile northwest of the village. The site of the Barnes Lime Kilns, from which, in early days lime was hauled by team as far as Hartford, is 1 and 1/2 miles northeast on R. 124, near the Massachusetts line.
Going east from the village by R. 101. we pass on the north one of the plants of the New England Lime Corporation. Blackberry River supplied power for the former iron industry. By taking the older road south of the stream, we come in about 2 miles to the house of Squire Samuel Forbes, one of the pioneer ironmasters, built in 1770 or a few years later. Nearby is the site of his forge and slitting mill. Ethan Allen acted as bookkeeper in this plant for several years, before going to Vermont. In East Canaan, where we join R. 101, we have a good Colonial church, built in 1822, and the Nathaniel Stevens House, dating from 1786. The Allyndale Quarry, which supplied the marble for the State Capital at Hartford, lies 3/4 mile north of East Canaan, on the right.
Campbell Falls, though 100 yards over the Massachusetts line, is protected by an Interstate Park. The brook plunges about 30 feet through a cleft it has worn in the tilted rock strata, and is at its best in high water, In the picnic grounds below the Falls, on the Connecticut side (Norfolk,) there is a fine stand of old pine and hemlock. To reach Campbell Falls, take the road from East Canaan to Canaan Valley and drive northeast on a rather poor road, which continues to Norfolk.