From Staff Reports 

CANTON — Demolition of the now-defunct and historic Canton paper mill site “began in the last several weeks, said its new owner, with a focus on industry- and age-obsolete buildings,” the Asheville Citizen Times reported on March 17.

“The mill and surrounding properties were acquired by Spirtas Worldwide in January for a $3.36 million sale price, according to property records,” the Citizen Times noted, adding that “the mill was established in 1908 by the Champion Fibre Co. and served as a crucial regional employer until it closed in May 2023.”

The mill demolition work is being done by Spirtas Worldwide, along with Greensboro-based D.H. Griffin Co. Primarily all of the paper-making buildings on the east side of the river will be removed, according to Eric Spirtas, president of Spirtas Worldwide.

Meanwhile, based on the conversations he has had with the mill’s new owner, Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers told the Citizen Times in a March 14 interview that most of the buildings will be demolished within two years, although he is hopeful that some of the structures will remain, “carrying on the legacy” of generations of mill workers.

Regarding the mill’s sale and now the start of the demolition process, Smathers was quoted by the Citizen Times as saying the following:

 â€œThat’s pretty breathtaking... When I drive by that mill site taking my son to school, I make notice of that. I want to put somewhere in his memory what was. Obviously, we’re talking a lot about what is next, but no matter what is next, it’s so important we don’t forget what made, not just Canton and Haywood County, but the entire region special.”

The newspaper added, “For more than a century, the mill served as the economic and civic center of Canton. The property sprawls across a 185-acre campus, straddling the Pigeon River.”