The main office: This photo shows the Cannon Mills corporate headquarters the way it used to look in the 1920s, because "there's nothing there from the 30s," says Norris Dearmon, Kannapolis historian.

Cannon Mills' corporate headquarters, usually called the "Main Office," was built in the mid-'20s and has now been demolished as a result of the purchase of the Cannon Mills property by California billionaire David Murdock. He plans to create a N.C. Research Campus on the site of the former textile giant to revitalize the economy in Kannapolis and the state. And parts of this building as it looked in the late '20s, including its once well-recognized cupola, are already gone. Norris Dearmon, Kannapolis historian, believes this picture was probably made in the '20s because all the cars are 1920s models. "There's nothing there from the '30s," he says. On the left of the large office building is the band stand where the Cannon Mill band practiced. Originally it was located on stilts in Cannon Lake but was then moved to become a close neighbor of the Main Office. When Charles Cannon, son of founder J.W. Cannon, took over the reins of the Cannon empire, he had the buildings renovated to reflect the Williamsburg architectural style favored by his wife, Ruth. New Williamsburg-style store fronts were also put on all the downtown buildings. For Looking Back information or to submit a picture contact Joanie Morris at 704-932-3336 or jmorris@kannapoliscitizen, Rose Post at 704-797-4251 or rpost@salisburypost.com., or Norris Dearmon at 704-938-9121.