Final whistle: 115-year-old paper mill in Canton will soon shut down
A paper mill in Canton is officially closing June 9 after 115 years in operation.
Generations of families worked at the mill in Canton, which is fondly called "Papertown." Six members of Kelly Teague's family still work there, including her husband, brother and son.
"I think that we figured out that 11 out of 20 incomes in our immediate family is disappearing," Teague said.
This week at a ceremony, the paper mill's whistle sounded with area churches ringing bells 115 times for the plant's 115-year history.
The sound, followed by a silence, will resonate in Canton for years.
"These people coming out today ... that's what Canton's all about," said Jimmy Flynn, Canton's former assistant town manager.
"I just felt there was a moment ... I felt there was a lot of men and women from the past looking down on us," said Mayor Zeb Smathers. "I think we did them proud."
Smathers said he is certain the town will sound new notes in the future.
When the plant closes, some 900 workers will be laid off in Canton. Another 150 workers will lose jobs at a plant in Waynesville.
The layoffs are the largest announced by a company in North Carolina since QVC cut 1,950 jobs after a plant fire in Rocky Mount in December 2021.
