For the past 150 years, give or take, people have been flocking to Canton, Texas, for First Monday Trade Days. Back then, the circuit judge stopped by in Canton on the first Monday of each month to hear cases, and people would come from all over. Soon they were bartering and auctioning livestock, produce, and merchandise.
It’s a tradition than never ended, according to Brandy Cumming, the facilities coordinator for the market. “The crowds continued to grow. In the 1960s, the City of Canton bought six and a half acres of land and designated it as a trading area. That was a huge success, and the site overflowed. More land was purchased for the flea market,” she explains. “It grew to include 120 acres of land, and now it’s over 300 acres when you add in the parking. We get 5,000 to 7,000 vendors.”
The market is still organized and run by the City of Canton, and it is held on the weekend before the first Monday of every month. The name is still First Monday Trade Days, and it remains intensely popular. “We have half a million people attend some of our shows,” says Cumming. “Even in hot and bad weather, we get thousands of people.” For more information, check out the market Web site at FirstMondayCanton.com.
Photo credit, with thanks: DallasTexasRealEstateBlog.com.