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is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,319 at the 2000 census. It is the location of Mascoma State Forest. Canaan is home to the Cardigan Mountain School, the town's largest employer.
Chartered in 1761 by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth, the town probably took its name from the hometown of early settlers from Canaan, Connecticut, which was named for the Biblical land of Canaan. Settled in 1766, it would be incorporated in 1770 by Governor John Wentworth. The town was once a stagecoach stop.
In March 1835, 28 white students and 14 black students commenced classes at the newly established Noyes Academy. On August 10, 1835, white residents of Canaan, with the help of neighboring towns and "nearly 100 yoke of oxen," forcibly removed Noyes Academy from its foundation. Later, the community would be a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Canaan was the site of a famous train wreck on September 15, 1907. Four miles north of Canaan Station, the southbound Quebec to Boston express, heavily loaded with passengers returning from the Sherbrooke Fair, collided head-on with a northbound Boston & Maine freight train. Twenty-five people perished, and an equal number were seriously injured. Cause of the accident was "due to a mistake in train dispatcher's orders."