Early Manufacturing

Large-scale manufacturing came to Haywood County in the early 20th century. Mills, tanneries, furniture factories, and veneer works sprang up as part of a larger trend to extract natural resources from the Southern Appalachian mountains.

Champion Fibre Company was one of these manufacturers. Opened in 1908, it was the world’s largest pulp mill and by 1929 the world’s largest producer of tannic acid. With the mill’s opening, Canton’s population of 230 more than quadrupled by 1910. By 1930 it topped 5,000, becoming the largest town west of Asheville. In just a few short decades, the town saw the additions of a commercial district, paved roads, and telephone and electrical services. Elsewhere, logging camps like Sunburst and Quinlantown grew into full communities complete with housing, hotels, and stores built to support their workers.

In 1880 the people of Haywood were spread out in rural settlements. Forty years later, most residents were concentrated in or near manufacturing centers like Canton and Hazelwood.

Photographs courtesy of Canton Historical Museum