Canton, Kentucky

Canton is a Trigg county community about 10 miles southwest of Cadiz. It was originally on the Cumberland River, but is now on Lake Barkley. The area was settled late in the eighteenth century by Abraham Boyd and others and was known as Boyds Landing. The town was established in 1822 and was named Canton. It was an important port on the Cumberland River for traffic with New Orleans and there was a ferry across the river as well. The source of the name Canton is not certainly known, but it may be named for the city in China.

Canton was incorporated in 1822, but was later dissolved.

The Boyds Landing post office opened in 1820, was renamed Canton in 1823, and closed in 1994.

The Canton Hotel, also known as the Brick Inn, was built in 1819. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

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© 2024 David C. Elbon