Canton is known for its iconic paper mill and even though the odor emitting from the stacks may seem foul to some, most Canton folks would agree it’s a familiar smell that reminds them of home. However, the reminiscent scent is slated to disappear in the coming months.
According to an Asheville Citizens Times article, the mill’s closing was part of a companywide restructuring. Since this came to fruition, the owner of the Canton mill, Evergreen, faced criticism for deciding to pay dividends to the shareholders while announcing the layoff of 1,200 western North Carolina workers. In addition, four Evergreen officials drew allegations of insider trading after selling more than $600,000 in stock three days before the layoff announcement and the tanking of the company’s share values. The layoffs are expected to take place on June 6 and will be a “punch in the gut” to the town and its workers.
The closure of the mill impacts not just the employees and residents of the town, it will have impact on other businesses in the region.
The town’s mayor, Zeb Smathers, spoke to the announcement of the mill closure at a Balsam Range concert this past April and described it as “having a death in the family.” Even Balsam Range, a nationally recognized bluegrass band who four of its five members hail from Haywood County, are feeling the same sorrow as their fellow Cantonites. I was in attendance at this concert and there was an overwhelming sense of hurt yet such pride.
Although originally planned to raise scholarship money for local high school students, the concert evolved into what I would describe as a “musical memorial service.” The group even performed the song “paper town” which they wrote about the mill in 2012. Balsam Range’s banjo player, Dr. Marc Pruett, shared how it felt to perform in his hometown knowing the mill closing is imminent.
“I have to say it was a bittersweet experience for me. I love to play music there and Sorrells Street Park has a grand view of the paper mill campus,” Pruett said. “As I stood on the stage playing music to the people I love and my hometown I love, I thought of many I’ve known and friends I’ve had in my lifetime who worked at the mill. Knowing the mill is closing after 120 years gave me a profound feeling of sadness.”
Pruett describes himself as a positive person and was confident that the community would make it through this. One thing he was sure of however is that the town he grew up in would never be the same.
Pruett and the other Balsam Range members aren’t the only ones troubled by the mill closure. Blue Ridge Southern, a class-three short line railroad owned by Watco supplies the mill with everything needed in the paper-making process from woodchips to chemicals. Having taken over 90 miles of track from Norfolk Southern in 2014, the Blue Ridge Southern (operating under the reporting mark “BLU”) depends on the mill in the same manner that a heart needs blood to live. The mill is BLU’s biggest customer and many fear that if the mill goes, the railroad goes with it.
Andrew Faulk, an engineer who now works for CSX in Charlotte, once lived in Canton and worked for the Blue Ridge Southern. Faulk has a nostalgic spot for the BLU and is worried how the closure will affect the company that provided him with his first railroading job.
“When I worked for the BLU, it was the furthest thought in my mind that the mill would shut down some three years later. It was so busy I could hardly handle the workload. Fast forward to this spring and it’s all dried up,” Faulk shared. “Railroading as a whole in this part of the state has taken many hits but this could be the final nail in the coffin.”
Faulk also expressed his concerns for the mill workers and families involved in the closing.
“Over 1,000 jobs will be lost in Canton which will have a devastating impact on not only the town but many families,” Faulk added. “This deeply hurts my heart for the town and families of Canton but no matter what Canton will always be my paper town and home to me for the rest of my life.”
Although Faulk could not give a definitive answer, he was able to provide his best prediction regarding the BLU’s future.
“While the future is uncertain, one sure thing to me is that the BLU’s operation will have no choice but to change. It will no longer have the largest customer that’s made the most profits,” Faulk said. “The rail traffic will most likely be cut by 50% leading me to believe that railroad layoffs will occur. I’m hoping for the best, but it looks like a dark future ahead for Canton and Western North Carolina railroads in general.”
With layoffs from the mill starting June 6 this year, Smathers spoke at the Balsam Range concert to assure the townspeople that Canton will survive no matter what the outcome.
“This is not the end for Canton,” Smathers said. “We will find a way to move on. We are a proud mill town. That’s what this town has always been and always will be to us.”
