Quick Facts

Canton was incorporated in 1836.

Canton is the County Seat of Madison County.

The Madison County Historic Courthouse was built in 1855, and is one of only 7 pre-Civil War Courthouses in the State of Mississippi in an unaltered condition.

Canton's Historical Square and the Courthouse were entered into the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

The City of Canton boasts a population of approximately 13,500.

Canton is located twenty minutes from the capitol city of Jackson, Mississippi. Canton is in the center of the state between Memphis, Tennessee and New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Old Madison County Jail was built in 1870 and served the county for 99 years. It is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Canton Depot was built in 1926 and now houses The Canton Train Museum and the office of Canton Chamber of Commerce/Main Street.

The Canton Multicultural Center and Museum is a permanent exhibit focusing on the life and struggle of the African Americans in Canton and Madison County.

Canton is home to the world famous Canton Flea Market Arts & Crafts Show. This is a bi-annual event held on the second Thursday of May and October. It began in 1965 with local artists displaying their paintings on the fence around the Historic Courthouse, and currently receives up to 100,000 visitors annually.

Canton is the home of the oldest Hot Air Balloon race in Mississippi.

Canton is the "Movie Capital of Mississippi."

Canton is the birthplace of the Mississippi Art Colony, the oldest continuous, self-governed art colony in the country documented at the Smithsonian Institute.

Canton is the birthplace of well-known blues man Elmore James.

Canton was home to world-renowned architect Samuel (Sambo) Mockbee.

Canton has been the site of 5 feature films beginning in 1995 with John Grishams' "A Time To Kill", quickly followed by Willie Morris' "My Dog Skip", "The Rising Place", an independent film by Tom Rice of Jackson, Mississippi, the Coen brothers "O Brother Where Art Thou", and Eudora Welty's "A Ponder Heart" for PBS Masterpiece Theatre.

Dr. Tichenor bottled the first samples of his famous antiseptic in Canton.

Canton is home to the Howcott Monument erected between 1894 and 1900. It is perhaps the only monument of its kind in the South. This 20-foot obelisk was erected by William Hill Howcott in honor of his body servant, Willis Howcott, who followed him into battle during the Civil War and was killed.

Canton is home to Nissan's newest automotive assembly plant.