Lubbock's First Cotton Gin
The Lubbock Cotton Gin Company operated at a site 1/10 mile northeast in the 1900s and 1910s. Until 1903, the nearest gins were over 100 miles away, thus limiting any local experiments with growing cotton. However, after the first small efforts to raise cotton proved successful in 1902 and 1903, local municipal leaders recognized that cotton farming could become an established industry and decided to purchase a cotton gin.
After a public subscription drive, a group led by town co- founder – Frankie Wheelock funded and opened Lubbock's first cotton gin in late 1904. The Lubbock cotton gin company was jointly owned by Wheelock, William Carlisle, brothers K. And G.W. Carter, H.V. Edsall, and W.G. Nairn.
Wheelock traveled to the railroad siding in canyon with two wagons and eight horses and returned eight days later with a 16,000-pound engine and gin equipment in tow. The gin was installed over a three-month period, opening in time for the 1904 harvest.
Each season once the harvest began, the gin operated almost continuously. Soon, other gins opened in the county to keep up with increasing cotton production, increases which by the 1920s resulted in the opening of numerous compress warehouses and cotton seed oil-processing plants. After this gin closed in the late 1910S, the
this page online
Starting with the first cotton gin in 1904, Lubbock has grown
to be the center of the south plains cotton industry, recognized
as one of the leading production regions of the united states
and the world.
Marker is property of State of Texas
Erected 2017 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 18589.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.
Location. 33° 34.725′ N, 101° 50.174′ W. Marker is in Lubbock, Texas, in Lubbock County. Marker is on Avenue A, 0.1 miles north of East 19th Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lubbock TX 79401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. New Hope Baptist Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); J.I. Allison House circa 1950s (approx. 0.4 miles away); Buddy Holly (approx. 0.4 miles away); F W & D South Plains Railway Depot (approx. 0.4 miles away); The McCartney Oak (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Buddy Holly (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Cactus Theater
Credits. This page was last revised on March 14, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 13, 2021, by Allen Lowrey of Amarillo, Texas. This page has been viewed 287 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 13, 2021, by Allen Lowrey of Amarillo, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
