Burton Farmers Gin Mill

This is the earliest known survivor of an integrated cotton ginning system widely used to process cotton from wagon to bale in a continuous operation. The gin machinery was designed and built in 1914 by the Lummus Cotton Gin Company. It can process seven bales per hour. Five gin stands, stick machine, burr machine, separators, cleaners, press pump, and pneumatic conveying fans are driven by a 125-hp Bessemer oil engine. This gin ran commercially until 1974 and was restored to operating condition in 1993. The Bessemer engine powered the entire mill, removing manual labor from the ginning process and allowing the Texas industry to evolve into the age of mechanization and integrated machine systems. The Burton Farmers mill has been restored to full operation and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The documentation, the surviving machinery, and that it still runs make it a landmark of exceptional integrity.