In December 1875, Job Bowers laid out the streets for the town of Canon. Originally known as West Bowersville, its name was changed to Canon in 1893. The Elberton Air Line Railroad came through Canon in 1879. In 1908, the Canon Oil and Fertilizer Company was the town’s first business, which was followed by a mule and horse dealer, a builder, a cotton buyer, brick manufacturers and a dentist. Canon played an important role as a newspaper publishing center and for communicating local and regional news … The Franklin County Register, a weekly newspaper, was published there in the 1880s. W.F. Bowers, son of Job Bowers, published The American Union between 1884 and 1905, which reflected his political and religious opinions. Other publications included The Free Press, a Populist weekly published between 1892 and 1896, and the Canon Echo, a local newspaper. The Universalist Herald, a nationally circulated religious publication has been published in Canon since 1897. The city maintains its small town charm and has approximately the same number of residents it had in 1907 (Historic and Cultural Resources, Draft Report: Franklin County Joint Comprehensive Plan 2005-2025, August 2006).