“This ain’t just another papеrtown”
How Balsam Range’s “Papertown” captures home in a song.
Have you ever heard a song that made you feel at home? “Papertown” by Balsam Range is this song for the 4000 people that live in Canton, North Carolina.
In 2012, the bluegrass band Balsam Range found a way to capture Canton’s history into a song. All band members stemmed from Western North Carolina, where the Great Balsam mountain ranges surround them.
“We thought it was a little pretentious to have ‘great’ in there,” fiddle player Buddy Melton explains, “so we just stripped that off of it and called us [the band] Balsam Range.”
A unique national anthem called “Papertown.”
Canton has events held in their park beside the main street, and they usually get many people to attend. I vividly remember this particular concert where we had this small town packed into an even smaller park that night because Balsam Range was the main event. Hearing this song live was just so surreal after hearing it over and over on the radio, during football games, and at graduation, seeing all my older friends taking the next step in this thing we call life.
When I start feeling homesick, I turn this song on and feel at ease. I associate it with all the good memories I have, and I will remember them all till the day I die.
What makes Canton, Canton?
If you were passing through, you would think it’s just another small town in the middle of nowhere, but to me, Canton is my home and forever will be too many. In the eyes of people that don’t live in Canton, they wouldn’t see what I see. They see a small town filled with hillbillys, and I see the biggest and cohesive community I know. Everyone knows each other; if you go to a store, you are guaranteed to see an old teacher or coach you can catch up with. That is what I love about my town.
Canton is known for many things, including the mill, the historic main street, amazing hikes near by like shining rock, and graveyard fields. Canton is also located on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, which stretches 469 miles.
Out of all the things I could say about canton is that the locals love football. The Pisgah-Tuscola rivalry game has been going on since 1966, typically getting 10,000–15,000 in attendance to watch this showdown. Many nicknames are associated with this game, such as the Paper Bowl, The Hill vs. The Mill, County Clash, and the Iron Bowl. No matter the standings of each team this game lights a fire under both squads making it a great show to watch.
Canton’s history in song
1905, A man named Peter G. Thomason from Ohio was visiting western North Carolina looking to build a pulp mill. After exploring many different towns and counties, he landed in Canton.
He saw Canton as the perfect site for many reasons. There was a surplus of timber, good transportation, and, most importantly, a water supply. There were many good options Peter Thomason could’ve picked, such as Cherokee, Clay, and Graham counties but none of them had the Pigeon River.
Told everyone that was willin’
Steady work would be their reward
So they started makin’ paper
Where the Pigeon River forks
Construction of the mill started in 1906 and ended in late 1907, taking nearly two years to complete, Don't let the short time trick you into thinking it was an easy job; it was anything but that. At the start of the building, the only workers were local farmers with little experience in construction. These farmers still prioritized their farms so they could feed their families. If there were chores on the farm, they wouldn’t come to the mill to work until choring was done.
The fall and winter seasons made for harsh conditions for construction. These were very wet seasons, and being alongside the Pigeon River, the mill was subject to flooding. When it would rain, the bottom of the mill would become a muddy disaster, and materials and part of the infrastructure would be sunken into the mud and have to be dug up the following day.
Fred Floods Canton
When Canton got hit by tropical storm Fred, it wasn’t pretty. Houses were getting destroyed, cars were floating down the river, and deaths of loved ones for a handful of an unlucky few. When people could finally leave their houses (if they still had one), everyone was outside helping build back our community slowly. It was devastating to every single person that lived there.
Balsam Range also put together a benefit concert following the flood. The band all agreed that they needed to help. They were more than happy to perform; Tim Surret said, “I could almost see my house from that stage. It’s not an expense or an imposition to come….” Balsam Range also has a song called Grit and Grace, which is about recovery “We just keep supplying the grit and God supplies the grace. And, sometimes, it shows up in the form of your neighbors and townsfolks that are willing to help,” Surrett said.
This ain’t just another papertown, it’s part of who I am
Molded me as a little boy so I could be a better man
From the mountains and the farmlands, ‘round the smokestack she has grown This ain’t just another papertown, it’s the one that I call home
If the mill ever goes out of business or shuts down, Canton will go down with it, but that will never happen because the mill is what makes Canton who she is.
