The Mill on Etowah: the old cotton mill by downtown Canton

The Mill on Etowah is a privately owned property in the old Canton Cotton Mill No. 1. It is not a City of Canton venue, so its own website, etowahmill.com, sets the hours, event rules and rink policies. It lists its address as 225 Reformation Pkwy, Canton, GA 30114, and its phone as (678) 762-9950.

• 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

How The Mill connects to downtown

The Mill sits on the southwest side of downtown, by the river and the railroad. The National Register nomination for the mills places Mill No. 1 beside the railroad near the Etowah River, on the southwest side of downtown. The same railroad, the Marietta and North Georgia, was built through downtown Canton in 1879. Robert Tyre Jones, who had moved to Canton about that year and opened the Jones Mercantile Company, put money into the mill from the start.

• 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
• In 1879 the Marietta and North Georgia Railroad was built through downtown Canton. The New Georgia Encyclopedia says the town then drew summer visitors escaping the heat farther south. New Georgia Encyclopedia: Canton (last edited June 15, 2022)

We have not found a walking route, distance or parking plan between Cannon Park and The Mill published by the City or by The Mill, so we do not give one. If you are planning a full day, see Main Street first, then come to The Mill for lunch, the rink or a festival. The day planner builds the downtown part of the day, and the Main Street page covers the downtown blocks.

What The Mill was

The charter for Canton Cotton Mills was granted on Dec. 2, 1899. The nomination calls Jones the largest investor, with $25,000 of the $75,000 needed to start building. Mill No. 1 went up in 1900, and its machines started running in March 1901. The mill first made cotton sheeting and lost $10,000 in its first year, the nomination says. 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 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
• 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)

1899, 1900 or 1901?

You will see all three years. The Mill’s homepage and the nomination say the building went up in 1900, on a charter from Dec. 2, 1899. The Mill’s Our Story page says the denim mill was founded in 1899, and Explore Canton says it started in 1900. The nomination adds that the machines started in March 1901. The years mark different steps, charter, building and start-up, so none of them is wrong.

When did the denim stop?

The Mill’s homepage says the mill made denim until 1981. The nomination is more precise: the company was renamed Canton Textile Mills in 1963, manufacturing at Mill No. 1 stopped in 1969, leaving warehousing and dyeing there, and the company closed in 1981. We follow the nomination.

• 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

What is there now

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. Its 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. Other published figures for the floor area are smaller; we use The Mill’s own.

• 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)
• 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 names Reformation Brewery, Whitetail Coffee, Fermented Wine Boutique, Giggle Monsters Craft Donuts, Sweet Joy Ice Cream, Nava Taqueria, Magnolia Villa, Cotton Mill Exchange and The Shoppes at The Mill, plus Nomadic Flow Outfitters and Mayberry at The Mill. Hours differ by business and some close on Mondays. The Mill’s separate food page still carried 2021 coming-soon banners when we checked, so go by the hours list on its homepage. Some names from that old food page, such as The Salty Mule, now appear on the City’s downtown dining list without addresses; our restaurants page sorts out which are where.

• 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)

Rink on the River

Rink on the River is The Mill’s seasonal outdoor ice rink. The 2026 season opens Saturday, Nov. 21, with opening-day hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. After that the rink page lists Tuesday to Thursday 4 to 8 p.m., Friday 4 to 9 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday noon to 8 p.m. It is closed on Mondays, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, and open noon to 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Admission is $15 per person and includes skate rentals and same-day re-entry. Every skater signs a waiver, and a parent or guardian must sign for skaters under 16.

The closing date is not settled. The rink page gives no end date for 2026 to 2027. The Mill’s Christmas page says Nov. 23 through Jan. 24, which matches last season’s calendar. Check the rink page before you plan a late January visit.

• Rink on the River is a seasonal outdoor ice rink at The Mill. The 2026 season opens Saturday, Nov. 21. Admission is $15 per person and includes skate rentals. The Mill on Etowah: Rink on the River

Festivals at The Mill, fall 2026

• Jack O’ Lantern Jamboree, Sat., Oct. 24 (noon to 8 p.m.) and Sun., Oct. 25 (noon to 7 p.m.). The third annual, presented by Goin’ Social Events. Free, with trick-or-treating, outdoor movies, live music, a DJ, local vendors and costumed characters. The listing calls it pet-friendly.
• Fall Plant Festival (Flannel and Ferns), Sat., Nov. 7, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hosted by The Greenhouse Social, with more than 50 plant and local vendors.
• Makers Market, Sat., Nov. 14, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local crafters inside The Shoppes at The Mill. The listing says it is held once a month; Nov. 14 is the one upcoming date it gives.
• Christmas at The Mill, Fri., Nov. 27 and Sat., Nov. 28, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Mill’s sixth annual Christmas festival, with more than 85 vendor booths, skating, Santa and football on the big screen. The Tree Lighting Program is Saturday at 6 p.m. Details on The Mill’s Christmas page.
• Grinchmas at The Mill, Fri., Dec. 18, 5 to 9 p.m. Free, with Christmas train rides, a Stuff the Limo toy drive for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and The Grinch on the green at 7 p.m.

Denim Fest, The Mill’s free fall festival in honor of Canton Denim, happened on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026, with a mill history walk led with History Cherokee and a $10 carnival wristband. Explore Canton’s blog called it the fifth annual and its annual-events page the fourth.

Not the same as Mill No. 2

Canton had a second mill. Canton Cotton Mill No. 2 was built from late 1923 to the summer of 1924 on Ball Ground Highway (Georgia 5), northeast of downtown, and started with 750 looms and 23,000 spindles. It is on the National Register at 200 Ball Ground Highway, and its buildings are now loft apartments. The Mill on Etowah is Mill No. 1. The two mills’ shared story is on the history page.

• 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. National Register nomination: Canton Cotton Mills No. 2, NRIS 02000293
• Canton Cotton Mills No. 2, 200 Ball Ground Highway, is on the National Register of Historic Places (NRIS 02000293; NPS record dated April 1, 2002). Its buildings were converted to loft apartments. NPS NPGallery: Canton Cotton Mills No. 2, NRIS 02000293

Questions

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