Near Luling in Caldwell County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Wattsville Gin

Photographed By James Hulse, August 21, 2022

1. Wattsville Gin Marker

Inscription. From about 1880 to the early 1920s, residents of Wattsville, Hall and other nearby towns used a cotton gin located here. Brothers Zechariah John and Thomas Watts settled the area ca. 1855, building the gin and also a general store and blacksmith shop. A man-made dirt dam, later known as the gin tank, collected rain water to power the gin, which was used to bale cotton and also to grind corn and cottonseed. After John's death, his wife, Ada, applied for and received licenses from the state and federal governments to operate the gin, becoming one of few women to do so. Today, the remaining gin tank serves as a reminder of the vital role of the Wattsville gin and the Watts family in developing this area of Caldwell County.

Erected 2010 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 16585.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.

Location. 29° 45.462′ N, 97° 33.718′ W. Marker is near Luling, Texas, in Caldwell County. Marker is on Wattsville Road, 0.4 miles west of Tenney Creek Road (County Highway 141), on the right when traveling west. The marker is located along the north side of the road. Touch for map.

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Marker is at or near this postal address: 444 Wattsville Road, Luling TX 78648, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Hall Cemetery (approx. 1½ miles away); Clearfork Baptist Church (approx. 2.6 miles away); McNeil Baptist Church (approx. 3.7 miles away); McNeil Cemetery (approx. 3.8 miles away); Fleming Memorial Cemetery (approx. 6.6 miles away); Jeffrey Cemetery (approx. 6.7 miles away); Bethel Primitive Baptist Church (approx. 6.7 miles away); Theodore S. Lee (approx. 7.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Luling.

Also see . . . Cotton Ginning. Texas State Historical Association

Before cotton can be spun into yarn or thread and woven into cloth, the fibers must be separated from their seeds. In 1793 Eli Whitney had invented the cotton gin, a shortened term for "cotton engine." Whitney's patented machine featured a wooden cylinder with iron teeth or spikes, a grooved breastwork of brass or iron through which the spikes could pass but the seeds could not, and a brush cylinder behind the breastwork to clear cotton fibers from the spikes. Ginned seed cotton, or lint, was carried in baskets or allowed to fall into a lint room for storage. The lint was then packed by foot or wooden pestle
Photographed By James Hulse, August 21, 2022

2. Wattsville Gin Marker
into a sack and taken to market.

(Submitted on August 23, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

The view of the Wattsville Gin Marker and the man-made dirt dam in the background image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, August 21, 2022

3. The view of the Wattsville Gin Marker and the man-made dirt dam in the background

The view of the Wattsville Gin Marker from the road image. Click for full size.

Photographed By James Hulse, August 21, 2022

4. The view of the Wattsville Gin Marker from the road

Credits. This page was last revised on August 23, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 111 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 23, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.