Monument to papermakers coming to Canton
This artist's rendering shows what the bronze plaque on the monument might look like.
Town of Canton photo
The shuttered paper mill at the heart of Canton is still there — for now. One day it won’t be, but a forthcoming monument will ensure the generations of papermakers that made Canton great won’t ever be forgotten.
Terryll Evans, owner of WPTL radio, told Canton’s governing board on June 28 that the idea came from former mayor Pat Smathers, who is also the administrator of the Cruso Endowment.
“We just wanted to present this to the board to let you know when y'all start seeing stuff going on,” Evans said.
The endowment began in the 1990s but has become much more active after a $2 million gift in 2019 by the late David and Irene Smathers. Each year, the endowment funds small projects in the town, usually streetscaping or beautification.
Evans, with local CPA Robin G. Black, worked to secure the donation of a large rock, 5 feet wide and 3 feet high, upon which a brass plaque will eventually be placed.
They also helped secure a site on Park Street owned by the U.S. Postal Service, a small parcel of land between Black’s office and the Canton post office.
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Site work and mulch will be donated by J&M landscaping. The monument will be fenced on three sides and surrounded by river rock to deter people from climbing on it.
Evans said the Cruso Endowment has set a budget of $5,000 for the project, but she thinks the project will come in well under budget at around $3,400. No taxpayer funds will be used to create the monument. Evans believes installation will be completed before the town’s renowned Labor Day Festival, which will celebrate its 116th year this coming September.
Last summer, Pactiv Evergreen made the decision to close the 115-year-old paper mill, throwing roughly a thousand people out of work.
