From Canton Cotton Mills to The Mill on Etowah: dates that disagree

Every account of The Mill on Etowah starts with the cotton mill, and almost every account gives a different year. The Mill’s homepage says 1900. Its history page says 1899. The City’s downtown walking tour says the mill opened in 1901. None of them is simply wrong. Here is the story in order, from the mill’s 2002 National Register nomination and the other sources, with each conflict named.

Who started Canton Cotton Mills?

Robert Tyre Jones, born in 1849, moved to Canton about 1879, the year the Marietta and North Georgia Railroad was built through downtown. He opened the Jones Mercantile Company. By 1930 its affiliates included the Canton Wholesale Company and the Hotel Canton.

The nomination says the charter for Canton Cotton Mills was granted on Dec. 2, 1899. Jones was the largest investor, putting in $25,000 of the $75,000 needed to start building.

• Robert Tyre Jones (1849-1937) moved to Canton about 1879 and opened the Jones Mercantile Company. By 1930 its affiliates included the Canton Wholesale Company and the Hotel Canton. National Register nomination: Canton Cotton Mills No. 2, NRIS 02000293
• The charter for Canton Cotton Mills was granted on December 2, 1899. Jones was the largest investor, putting in $25,000 of the $75,000 needed to start building. National Register nomination: Canton Cotton Mills No. 2, NRIS 02000293

Was the mill founded in 1899, 1900 or 1901?

All three, depending on which step you count:

• 1899, the charter. Granted Dec. 2, 1899. The Mill’s history page says Jones founded the denim-producing mill in 1899, and a 2022 Urbanize Atlanta article also uses 1899.
• 1900, the building. The nomination says Mill No. 1 was built in 1900 beside the railroad near the Etowah River, on the southwest side of downtown. The Mill’s homepage also says built in 1900.
• 1901, the start of work. The nomination says the machines started running in March 1901. The City’s walking tour says the mill opened in 1901 on Railroad Street.

So a sign that says 1899 and a sign that says 1900 are describing different steps. We use the charter date for the founding and 1900 for the building.

• Mill No. 1 was built in 1900 beside the railroad near the Etowah River, on the southwest side of downtown. Its machines started running in March 1901. National Register nomination: Canton Cotton Mills No. 2, NRIS 02000293

How did Canton Denim start?

Not as planned. The nomination says the mill first made cotton sheeting alone and lost $10,000 in its first year. Jones persuaded the board to switch to denim, and the mill was profitable by 1903. The New Georgia Encyclopedia calls Canton Cotton Mills one of the largest mills in the South and says “Canton Denim” was known for its high quality.

• The mill first made only cotton sheeting and lost $10,000 in its first year. Jones persuaded the board to switch to denim, and the mill was profitable by 1903. National Register nomination: Canton Cotton Mills No. 2, NRIS 02000293
• The New Georgia Encyclopedia calls Canton Cotton Mills one of the largest mills in the South and says "Canton Denim" was known for its high quality. New Georgia Encyclopedia: Canton (last edited June 15, 2022)

The company added a second plant. Canton Cotton Mill No. 2 was built from late 1923 to the summer of 1924 on Ball Ground Highway (Georgia 5), northeast of downtown. It started with 750 looms and 23,000 spindles. That building is now loft apartments and is on the National Register in its own right; our guide to Canton’s National Register places has the record.

When did denim stop at Mill No. 1?

Here the sources are twelve years apart. The Mill’s homepage says the building produced denim until 1981. The nomination says the company was renamed Canton Textile Mills in 1963, that manufacturing at Mill No. 1 stopped in 1969 with warehousing and dyeing staying on, and that the company closed in 1981. We follow the nomination, because it treats the two plants separately. Both agree that the company ended in 1981.

• The company was renamed Canton Textile Mills in 1963. The nomination says manufacturing at Mill No. 1 stopped in 1969, leaving warehousing and dyeing there, and the company closed in 1981. National Register nomination: Canton Cotton Mills No. 2, NRIS 02000293

How did the mill become The Mill on Etowah?

The Mill says the Jones family used the building for warehouse and tenant space after the mills closed, and that local developers bought it in 2018. Urbanize Atlanta reported the price as $3.6 million. Explore Canton says the project was named the Georgia Economic Developers Association’s 2019 Deal of the Year.

• The Mill on Etowah, 225 Reformation Parkway, is the former Canton Cotton Mill No. 1. The Mill says the Jones family used the building for warehouse and tenant space after the mills closed in 1981, and local developers bought it in 2018. The Mill on Etowah (official site)

Is The Mill 158,000 or 250,000 square feet?

We cannot settle this one. The Mill’s history page, a reprint of an Enjoy Magazine article, describes a 250,000-square-foot property overlooking the Etowah River, and Urbanize Atlanta and Explore Canton use 250,000 too. A case study by Watchfire, an LED sign maker, gives 158,000 square feet. Neither figure comes with a note on how it was measured. Until The Mill publishes a breakdown, we print both and say who said which.

What is at The Mill today?

The history page lists a brewery and taproom, shops, restaurants, co-working space and an events green with a stage and screen. The Mill’s current hours list includes Reformation Brewery, Whitetail Coffee, Giggle Monsters Craft Donuts, Sweet Joy Ice Cream, Nava Taqueria, Magnolia Villa, Fermented Wine Boutique, Cotton Mill Exchange and The Shoppes at The Mill. Hours vary by business, so check before you go. The contact page gives (678) 762-9950.

• The Mill's history page describes a 250,000-square-foot property overlooking the Etowah River, with a brewery and taproom, shops, restaurants, co-working space and an events green with a stage and screen. The Mill on Etowah: Our Story (reprint of an Enjoy Magazine article by Rebecca Johnston)
• The Mill's current hours list includes Reformation Brewery, Whitetail Coffee, Giggle Monsters Craft Donuts, Sweet Joy Ice Cream, Nava Taqueria, Magnolia Villa, Fermented Wine Boutique, Cotton Mill Exchange and The Shoppes at The Mill. The Mill on Etowah (official site)
• The Mill on Etowah lists its address as 225 Reformation Pkwy, Canton, GA 30114, and its phone as (678) 762-9950. The Mill on Etowah: Contact

Denim Fest, The Mill’s free fall festival honoring Canton Denim, was held on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, with a mill history walk led by History Cherokee. Explore Canton’s blog called it the fifth annual and its events page the fourth. These are the next dates at The Mill:

Our guide to The Mill on Etowah has the tenant list and how it fits a downtown day, the restaurants page marks which places are at The Mill, and the history page covers the rest of Canton’s story.

Mill questions

Written by the Downtown Canton Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.

Dates, rules and hours can change. The organisers have the final word: City of Canton