A Royal Visit To Canaan

What do Queen Victoria, railroads and Canaan have in common? All came to prominence within a few years of each other.

In 1830 the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened, setting the pattern for modern railways. Victoria ascended the throne in 1837 and only four years later the first train chugged into Canaan, an event that led to the rapid growth of today’s village.

The Canaan History Center will return to the Victorian Era Saturday from 2 to 4PM when it holds a Victorian Social on its side lawn. Visitors will be able to chat with the Good Old Queen, herself, to view pictures of Canaan Village as it developed over the 60 years that she led the British Empire, to sip lemonade and nibble popcorn. There will be 19th century games for the children.

It seems as if the Royal Family is always in the news with some kind of scandal; that the gilded cage they live in fosters all kinds of dysfunctional relationships. Queen Victoria’s family seemed to set the standard for the modern generation. Her nine children were married off to royal and noble families across the continent, earning her the sobriquet "the grandmother of Europe" and setting the stage for much international mischief (her first grandson, Kaiser Wilhelm II was the baddie of the First World War).

See what she has to say about today’s generation and her own often-disparaged brood.