“The whistles will be given to the town of Canton to have, possess and use,” said Smathers, who struck a deal on the whistles during meetings with Pactiv Evergreen over the last few weeks. “That whistle can and should remain a symbol of what got us here.”

The paper mill’s whistles have been as much a fixture in Canton as the mill itself. Their steam-powered shrieks can be heard for miles and have pierced the Haywood County air multiple times a day for many decades, guiding workers to and from work and home. They even blow during the opening kick to signal the start of home football games for Canton’s Pisgah Bears.

Alderman Ralph Hamlett, who grew up in Canton as the son of the town’s police chief, said that one of the things he missed most while was working as a professor at North Texas University was hearing the whistle blow.

“Yes, we’re losing the mill, but that doesn’t mean we have to lose who we are,” Smathers said.

According to Smathers, the whistle announcement is the first of hopefully several regarding the town’s effort to preserve the cultural legacy of the mill long after it’s gone. He said there was also an agreement with Pactiv Evergreen for the town’s museum to acquire certain historic documents and artifacts from the site.

Since the closing was first announced on March 6, Smathers has compared the entire affair to a death in the family. First it was shock, then denial, then anger. Now, to boost the region’s collective psyche, he’s asking for a visitation.

“I think it’s very important the mill be opened up over the course of the next several weeks,” Smathers said, noting that some people would like to see the place where their ancestors toiled for years to pay for things like college educations and Christmas toys. “People need to get inside the place that has been so mysterious to so many.”

Other requests are still being made of the mill’s owners, Smathers said.