Early roads leading from surrounding rich cotton lands converge at Canton’s courthouse square, platted in 1834. Two blocks west of the square, the Canton-Jackson Railroad connected Canton with points north and south in 1858. The depot (1892; 1926 additions; 120 Front Street), the former New Paragon Cotton Gin (c. 1960 rebuilt; 436 W. Peace Street), and the metal Federal Compress warehouses (c. 1950) in the 200 block of N. Canal Street recall the town’s agri-industrial past. In its early years Canton’s economy rivaled Jackson’s, supporting at least two significant master builders in the 1850s: Jacob Larmour and the firm of Howell and Braselton.
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