North Canaan was once part of the Town of Canaan, established in 1738, where settlers of Dutch and English origin relied on their own farms for necessities. Early industry centered on smelting and forging iron along the Blackberry (Bromfoxit) River, which powered the blast at Beckley Furnace, using ore from nearby Salisbury, limestone, and charcoal to produce pig iron and goods ranging from nails to ship anchors for nearly two hundred years. Nearby Lawrence Tavern, built in 1751, remains in the hands of descendants of the original family. Canaan Valley and East Canaan were separated by Canaan Mountain from the more populous southern part of the township, and after years of agitation the northern part was incorporated as the new township of North Canaan on May 28, 1858. The Housatonic Railroad, opened in 1841, and the Connecticut Western Railroad, opened in 1871, met at Canaan Union Depot and stimulated the growth of Canaan, the town’s principal village, where for years twelve passenger trains ran daily along with freight activity that included two milk trains from a Borden plant to New York City. Limestone and marble for the State Capitol, completed in 1879, came from Allyndale quarries, and another local quarry supplied high-purity magnesium for twenty years for the nation’s work in atomic energy. Lime processing for agriculture, industry, and construction continued here under Pfizer, Inc., while Becton Dickinson and Company became the town’s largest employer as a manufacturer of medical instruments and Bicron Electronics Company produced electrical coils.