A history of Kannapolis,
since 1906
Postcards, papers and photographs of Kannapolis from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Early meaning and usage of the city's name was a direct reference to Cannon Mills Corporation, or James William Cannon himself. Early published name variations include "Cannon-opolis" and "Cannapolis". A widely accepted origin of the word "Kannapolis" comes from the combination of the Greek words kanna (reeds, not looms) and polis (city), which some believed meant "City of Looms". Dr. Gary Freeze, Catawba College history and politics department chairman, said a Concord newspaper used the name "Cannon City" in 1906. After mill workers or newspapers called the town "Cannapolis", J.W. Cannon asked Cabarrus County commissioners to give the town the name, but starting with a "K". Kannapolis historian Norris Dearmon said the K might have been to distinguish the town from his Concord mill village. Since, Freeze said, "Jim Cannon didn't study Greek," Cannon did not name the town "city of looms"…
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Kannapolis’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewThe Logical Conclusion of the Las…, 1912: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Kannapolis
See all 21 →
Kannapolis, decade by decade
CommonsThe Logical Conclusion of the Lassez (i.e., Laissez) Faires…1912
CommonsThe Logical Conclusion of the Lassez (sic) Faires Policy. H…1912![The Logical Conclusion of the Lassez [sic] Faires Policy. Herman Parker, said six years old, and he and others said he …](https://images.towntapestry.org/story/12425/fd930a5d108a9f46f796-s.jpg)
LOCThe Logical Conclusion of the Lassez [sic] Faires Policy. H…1912![The Logical Conclusion of the Lassez [i.e., Laissez] Faires Policy. Herman Parker, said six years old, and he and other…](https://images.towntapestry.org/story/12425/343b8c0a8f06fb7b50b1-s.jpg)
LOCThe Logical Conclusion of the Lassez [i.e., Laissez] Faires…1912
LOCA group of children attending the public school1912
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as The Logical Conclusion of the Lassez (i.e., Laissez) Faires Policy. Herman Parker, said six years old, and he and other… (1912) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (3) and the Library of Congress (3). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.