Reflection



      Overall, I felt that I learned so much about my hometown while doing the Content Knowledge Project. I have always wondered why so many people I know were upset when the mill was closed, demolished, and the North Carolina Research Campus put in it's place. Through all my research, I now see Kannapolis through the eyes of the people who knew Kannapolis before it became a Science hotspot. Kannapolis is different than most places. The city was built around the mill and people moved here to work in the mill and J.W. Cannon looked out for the welfare of the citizens. Up until the mill shut down, the town and everyone and everything centered around the mill and everyone had at least one family member that worked there.

      For the future of Kannapolis and all small towns across the United States, I feel it is important to share the rich history of the places we live with the young children who also live there. It is important for them to see and know how the town started and that all it takes is one person with initiative and a plan to build a city and that you can be or do anything. I believe that knowing where you live and where you came from helps you learn even more about yourself and it builds your own history. Before long, not many people will be around to tell stories of Cannon Mills first hand and if we do not write down these stories and keep the history alive, it will be pushed away in the back of some library.