Charles Albert Cannon

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Charles Albert Cannon was the son of James William Cannon and president of the Cannon Mills Company from the 1920's to the 1960's.

Cannon Mills manufacturing plants were located mainly in Kannapolis, North Carolina (from the Greek for city of looms) and Concord, North Carolina.

There were multiple plants employing thousands of people during this time, running three shifts and producing sheets and towels.

Mr. Cannon was a great industrialist and involved in philanthropy in the community which included churches, schools, hospitals and libraries.

Many of the families that worked in the mill lived in company houses generally of clapboard with 2-3 bedrooms and one bath and rented to the employees by the company at very cheap rates.

The downtown of Kannapolis was in the Colonial style, mostly brick and very elegant and directly because of the Cannon family.

While there were no unions in any of the operations, work was generally good during this era, and many people from other communities flocked to Kannapolis during the Great Depression because of jobs. The mill was the prominent employer in the area and there were no other significant manufacturing operations during that time.