Local News

Events Planned for Georgia Cities Week

As a member of the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA), Canton is participating in the GMA-sponsored Georgia Cities Week, Oct. 3-9. The following events are planned to showcase the city’s services and celebrate with residents.

Oct. 5: “Curious George - A Halloween Boofest” will be shown at 10 a.m. at the Historic Canton Theatre. Oct. 6: Parking deck groundbreaking ceremony at 2 p.m in the City Hall parking lot. At 5:30 p.m., Canton Police will conduct a roving roll call in Cannon Park. Oct. 7: Etowah Film Festival Begins at the Historic Canton Theatre. Canton Police host Read With a Cop at 10 a.m. in Brown Park. Oct. 9: An electronics recycling event takes place 7 a.m.-1 p.m. at the city’s collection site at 2525 Ridge Road. A breast cancer awareness walk begins at 9 a.m. in Cannon Park.

Check www.cantonga.gov for additional events and updates.

Volunteers prepare hot dog plates to benefit the Last Stop program.

Hot Dog Fundraiser for Senior Citizens

Cherokee County Senior Services and the Volunteer Aging Council (VAC) recently teamed up to hold a hot dog luncheon fundraiser to provide emergency assistance to senior citizens in the county. Organizers sold more than 150 hot dog plates, raising $850 for VAC’s Last Stop program.

Last Stop is a financial assistance program that provides emergency assistance when all other means have been exhausted. VAC works in conjunction with Cherokee County Senior Services to create fundraising events and gather support from private donors, local organizations and businesses in Cherokee County to raise funds to help low-income seniors and senior veterans who are not covered by programs already in place.

“We are thrilled with the turnout for this year’s hot dog fundraiser,” said Cherokee County Senior Services Resource Coordinator and VAC volunteer De Gale. “With the money raised, we will be able to help out several seniors needing assistance.”

To learn more about VAC, and view information on upcoming fundraising events, visit vac-cherokeega.org.

The presentation of the proclamation included, from left: Billy Peppers, Susana Barrios, Lorena Ponce-Reyes, Bill Grant, Norma Mendoza, Meg Rogers, Kenia Chinchilla and Jeff Butterworth.

Canton Observes Hispanic Heritage Month

The city launched its observance of Hispanic Heritage Month with a Sept. 15 proclamation by Mayor Bill Grant, which was received by the Cherokee Family Violence Center Multicultural Program on behalf of Canton’s Hispanic community. Oct. 15 ends the monthly observance.

“As diversity and inclusion are important goals of the city of Canton leadership within the city’s Roadmap for Success, the recognition and celebration of this vibrant and beautiful culture is vital to showcase what makes Canton so special,” said Lauren Johnson, the city’s communications and marketing specialist.

Watch Canton’s Facebook page for more information and feature highlights on Hispanic Heritage Month.

River Network Offers Safety Classes

After initial offerings sold out quickly, Georgia River Network (GRN) added introductory kayaking and water safety classes at the end of September, to help train new paddlers who are finding their way to rivers and lakes as an outdoor escape from the pandemic.

Recent increases in paddle sports participation have resulted in more accidents and fatalities. GRN wants to help paddlers enjoy the state’s waterways safely. One of the class offerings, Rescue for Rec Boaters, is the first comprehensive safety and rescue class offered for lake and Class I river paddlers in this region.

“The pandemic spawned an explosion in interest in paddle sports,” said GRN Paddle Georgia Coordinator Joe Cook. “Kayaking, in particular, has really taken off. We want to help folks paddle safely, whether joining our trips or leading their own.”

Founded in 1998, Georgia River Network is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that serves as the voice of Georgia’s rivers, and which works to empower everyone to enjoy, connect with and advocate for economically vital and clean flowing rivers. Visit https://garivers.org/grn-events for upcoming events.

Participants practice how to climb back into their kayaks if they capsize in the middle of a lake.

Instructors demonstrate how to check the fit of bike helmets.

Safe Kids Cherokee County Holds Bike Rodeo

Children attending the recent bike rodeo sponsored by Safe Kids Cherokee County learned about rules of the road and the meaning of different traffic signs.

Bike helmet safety instructors spoke about how to be sure helmets fit properly. Children were encouraged to wear bright colors, use reflectors and lights on their bikes and use hand signals.

Visit www.safekidscherokeecounty.org to learn more about Safe Kids Cherokee County, led by Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services

Updates from City Hall as New Year Begins

September was the end of the city’s fiscal year, which means staff members worked to complete as many projects as possible, or have plans in place to have the projects under development at the start of the new fiscal year, Oct. 1. For more updated details, visit www.cantonga.gov.

Downtown Tree Lights. All decorative tree lights downtown have been replaced, as part of a new maintenance agreement with a private vendor. The agreement covers the monthly maintenance to keep the downtown streetscape sparkling, including new types of lights. Make sure to see the new waterfall lights on West Main.

Harmon Park. The first phase of improvements, part of a Community Development Block Grant Project with Cherokee County, wraps up with updates to restroom fixtures, bleachers, lighting and curbing for erosion control, as well as building and roof improvements. The next phase includes a redesign of the park. The city purchased two adjacent properties to Harmon Park to extend the entrance road, add additional park, make land available for a new mini-pitch soccer field with Atlanta United, add a new pavilion, add a half-court basketball court, relocate the batting cages, add sidewalks, improve drainage, and replace fencing on the baseball fields. An engineer is being tasked with the design work and portions of the project, including the soccer field, which will be completed Spring 2022.

Automated Meter Reading Project. The city’s utility department is working on a project to convert readings to an automated platform. Requests for qualifications were turned in earlier this summer, and a smaller pool of firms were asked to move forward with a full proposal by the end of September.

Archer Street Parking Deck. City Council will approve contracts for the construction of a new 98 space parking structure at City Hall along Archer Street. The project includes electric vehicle charging stations and a solar array. This project will start this month and should be completed by May 2022.

Riverview Historic Cemetery

A Look Into the Past

Have you ever wondered how Riverview Cemetery in downtown Canton came to be, or how its history may be linked to your ancestors? The Riverview Cemetery Association gave us the inside scoop on this historic, privately managed cemetery, tucked away on 6 acres of sacred green space, behind the old Canton Methodist Church.

The oldest section of the cemetery is the hillside to the left of the church. It is thought that this land was given to the city for the sole purpose of creating a burial place for residents. The earliest documented burial here is that of an infant, Susan Moss, in 1844. It contains the tallest monument, that of Thomas Hutcherson, which was broken while being moved into place by a wagon. It was then taken back to the mill and made 15 feet shorter than the original. This area contains graves of many of Canton’s important early families, including the Galt, Garrison (Captain Nehemiah showing a birthdate of 1776), Johnston, Putnam, McCanless and Teasley families, to name a few.

To the right of the church, R.T. Jones, the head of the Canton Cotton Mills and the Jones Mercantile Company, has a plot, with a large granite monument, for his family. North of this area, Judge James Brown, brother to Georgia Gov. Joseph E. Brown, is believed to have donated land. A slate rock and stone wall is located here, enclosing the Brown family plot. Also located in this section is the beautiful, life-sized angel monument on the Thomas Brady plot.

Adjoining property to the west of the original cemetery was developed by W.L. Blackwell, who was given power of attorney over the property in May, 1923. Until that time, the cemetery was known as Town Cemetery, but deeds from Blackwell call it River-View Cemetery. Later, the area adopted the name Riverview. Records from these sales are scarce.

By 1990, when the Canton Methodist Church broke ground for its move to a new location, the cemetery had fallen into disrepair. The Riverview Cemetery Association was formed so that the cemetery could be preserved and protected.

Riverview Historic Cemetery

Riverview has more than 1,000 tombstones marking the graves of the souls buried there. It is the resting place of veterans serving in the Civil War, World War I and II, the Korean War, Vietnam and other conflicts. At least five members of the Georgia General Assembly are buried in the cemetery, as well as two Superior Court judges.

Recent use of ground-penetrating radar located 356 unmarked graves, which have been marked with a 3-inch stainless steel disc. Directory files are available at www.riverviewcemeterycanton.org. A map that will help people locate their ancestors is coming soon. Check the website for updates.

Tales From Beyond the Grave

In the spirit of Halloween, we wanted to learn more about some of the ghost stories that have been shared around Canton. In a small town with this much history, it isn’t surprising that some residents might have chosen to linger after they passed on. Riverview Cemetery is rumored to be the source of unexplained encounters downtown, but there are plenty of historic buildings that are reputed to play host to ghosts. From the historic, marble Cherokee County Courthouse to Cherokee County Fire & Emergency Services Station 16, and everywhere in between, Canton is full of history and tales of spirits.

I used to work in the basement of the historic courthouse building on Main Street. One winter night, “ I worked late and had to go back in to grab something I’d left on my desk. I went in through the back door, and as I was walking along the corridor, looking down at my phone, I nearly bumped into a gentleman wearing dark, leather work boots. All I saw were the boots. I jumped and said ‘Excuse me,’ to empty air. There was no one else in the corridor. Can’t explain it to this day.” — Tamarin G.

I worked at Station 16 for 10 years total. When I first started working there, everyone would tell me, “ ‘This place is haunted; weird stuff happens.’ I dismissed it, until one evening, about 10 minutes past 5 p.m., I was sitting in one of three recliners, with two other firemen, the backs of our chairs facing the windows and door. We were pointed toward the upstairs staircase. Everyone else in the building had left for the day. But, then, we heard the stairs squeaking. The sound was distinctive, we all knew that the steps creaked when you walked up and down them. It sounded like someone was going up the stairs, the sound getting fainter as they went up. There was no one walking on the stairs, but the sound resonated. Squeak, squeak, tap, tap, tap.”— Michael “Sid” Williams

Riverview Cemetery is a domestic nonprofit Georgia corporation, with 501(c)(13) recognition, that is dependent on donations for cemetery upkeep. The association’s contact information is available on the website. If you have a relative in Riverview, provide the name of your relative and your contact information on the email form. The association would love to help you reconnect to your roots!

If you’re interested in learning more about Canton’s history and haunts, take a trip back in time through downtown Canton on a two-hour guided walking tour, with Canton Historic Haunts. The family-friendly tours are offered summer through fall, and are sure to captivate and surprise you. Visit https://cantonhaunts.com for more information. And, if you have any spooky stories you’d like to share, we would love to hear from you! Email jessica@aroundaboutmagazines.com.