Welcome Home Celebration for WWI Soldiers

When World War I troops from the Canton area returned home, they were given a victorious celebration in Downtown Canton at the current site of the town hall (at 58 Park St). This photograph was taken on Saturday, May 3, 1919. R.E. Hipps, Canton’s mayor at the time, wrote the following proclamation for the town newspaper: “As they sacrificed their vocations and businesses for the call to arms, so should we cheerfully give to them at least half a day of our time to extend them a welcome.” North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Oliver Max Gardner of Shelby gave a speech and the festivities included a parade, a picnic, and a presentation of certificates to returning veterans and their families.

The soldiers and nurses included members of an ambulance corps that served on the front lines and carried wounded soldiers off the battlefields in France during the final assault of Allied forces against Germany. Organized in 1914, this ambulance unit was the first company of its kind in North Carolina. Many of the original members were residents of Canton and Clyde who worked at Champion mill, which subsidized the ambulance crews. The tables in this photo spell out the letters “O” and “H,” representing “Old Hickory,” the nickname of the 30th Division that the ambulance corps served with during the war.

Photograph courtesy of Canton Historical Museum

Caption courtesy of Michael Beadle, Canton (Images of America)