Norman Case House (1830)

The house at 172 Cherry Brook Road in Canton Center was built in 1830 by Norman Case, who had a woodworking shop on the banks of Cherry Brook where he made wagons and coffins. Once, people attending services at the Congregational Church next door heard a loud pounding, unusual for a Sunday morning. It was Norman Case, making a coffin for his young married daughter, who had died suddenly. Case’s shop became the Canton Center Store in 1875 and was moved closer to the road in 1886. Case’s house was later owned by Walter S. Case (1859-1941), who arrived in Canton in 1893 and ran the store for nearly fifty years, being succeeded by his sons, Gordon and Byron. He made alterations to the house, removing the central chimney and rearranging the interior rooms. Walter S. Case also served as postmaster from 1898 to 1940, followed by his son Gordon Case, who made an addition to the store for the post office.