Guest Column, Courtesy of the Canton-Madison County Historical Society
Mrs. Eileen Wyman is a familiar and beloved figure to many in Canton.
For years, countless locals have depended upon her remarkable skill as a seamstress.
Cotton was also an important part of Mrs. Wyman’s life and her family’s story, providing their livelihood for decades and, as she remembers, helping sustain not only her family but much of the community around them.
Recently, during a visit arranged by Historical Society member Beth Riddell MacNeill, Mrs. Wyman shared photographs, keepsakes and memories from her late husband Howard Wyman’s 49-year career with Federal Compress & Warehouse Company.
As we talked, Mrs. Wyman put it simply: without cotton, she and her family would not have survived. And cotton, she reminded us, meant a great deal not only to her family, but to the entire community.
When we arrived, Mrs. Wyman had already written down her memories for us and presented the handwritten page as a keepsake. At the top, she had given her recollections a simple but fitting title:
“Cotton was our Life”
“When the Federal Compress and Warehouse closed in Canton, my husband Howard Wyman, brought home these pictures that were left behind. After serving in U.S. Army during Korean War he returned to his job at Federal Compress and Warehouse in Sikeston, Mo. We married in 1956 and started our family of 4 children. The fall of 1966 he was sent to Holly Springs, Ms to “help out” The children and I relocated in 1967. We lived there 22 years before transferring to Canton, MS. He retired end of 1999 after 49 yrs. All plants are now dismantled.”
Eileen Wyman
Mrs. Wyman also donated several pieces of this history to the Historical Society.
Among them is a miniature Mississippi cotton bale, still bearing its original souvenir tag; a framed 1903 photograph of the Canton Public Square, crowded with wagons loaded with cotton; and a framed collection of historic clippings telling the earlier history of the Canton Cotton Warehouse Company, which was chartered June 23, 1888.
The company grew far beyond cotton storage, eventually operating an ice factory, bottling plant, sawmill and peanut factory.
Its compress was built in 1891, and the company even established Canton’s first telephone system, building lines throughout the county before selling the telephone operation in 1899.
Still hanging in Mrs. Wyman’s home are reminders of Howard’s long career, including his retirement recognition from the Canton plant, signed by his coworkers and honoring his remarkable 49 years of service to Federal Compress & Warehouse.
We are grateful to Mrs. Wyman for preserving these pieces of Canton’s past and for entrusting some of them to the Historical Society so that they can be preserved for the future.
And a special thank you to Beth Riddell MacNeill for bringing us together and making this visit possible.
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